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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24494215">Claw Our Way Up</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aevintyr/pseuds/Aevintyr'>Aevintyr</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Not Meant For Paradise [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Five Year Mission, M/M, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Tarsus IV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:02:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>50,044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24494215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aevintyr/pseuds/Aevintyr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Enterprise embarks on her five year mission, Dr Leonard McCoy focuses on what he does best: grumbling, healing the incurable and keeping Captain James T. Kirk alive.</p><p>Based on episodes from Star Trek TOS season one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Not Meant For Paradise [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>151</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Where No Man Has Gone Before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an(other) AOS take on the Five Year Mission. I will be using several episodes of TOS as base plotlines, but I’ll be changing things to make it fit AOS, following on from Not Meant For Paradise. There’s no need to have watched the TOS episodes. I’ve tried my best to staff the Enterprise with characters who occur in at least one TOS episode (or novel), but not all of them do. </p><p>Generally, don’t expect the Enterprise to be a happy place in this ’verse. There’ll be mentions of several unpleasant (canonical) things. For more details, see the chapter notes. I hope that covers it. Finally, disclaimer, I’ve never been to San Francisco (or Georgia, or anywhere in the US), I’m not a medical professional, I don’t own Star Trek, you know the drill.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“A whole <em>year</em>?” </p><p>Jim nods. “Scotty is devastated.”</p><p>“Oh come on, the Enterprise only did what, almost break apart in Earth’s atmosphere, how bad can the damage be?”</p><p>“I thought you’d be happy! A whole year with solid ground beneath your feet.”</p><p>Solid ground. In California. Right. “Unless they reassign me.” </p><p>Jim’s face clouds over. “They can’t. I won’t allow it.”</p><p>“Oh, sure, if Captain Kirk says so, I guess that’ll be alright then.” Leonard tries to laugh, but he can’t. What on Earth is he going to do for an entire year without their ship? </p><p>What on Earth. Hah.</p><p>Jim holds up both hands as a peace offering. “Hey, we saved Headquarters. Most of it, anyway. And prevented a mad supersoldier from starting a war. And you invented this treatment for radiation damage. Gotta count for <em>something</em> with Starfleet Command.”</p><p>“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He throws himself into his work at Starfleet Medical. </p><p>Radiation treatments want refining, safety protocols want rewriting. </p><p>No one is ever going to be irradiated by a misaligned warp core ever again. Not if Dr Leonard McCoy has anything to say about it.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, Bones, this is <em>awesome</em>!”</p><p>“Get your damn <em>feet</em> off my station!”</p><p>Jim makes a great show of shuffling, waving the padd around, grinning, like an idiot. “I mean it, this is awesome work. The rate the cells are regenerating in those patients … you’ve outdone yourself.”</p><p>Like Leonard doesn’t know that. He busies himself with triple-checking his current patients’ monitors.</p><p>“Look …” Jim hesitates. “I spent my entire day going over the refit specs with Scotty. I’m done with Starfleet for today. For several days, in fact. What do you say we get a drink somewhere? There must be at least one bar in San Francisco that can rustle up a mint julep to your Southern tastes.”</p><p>“Doubtful.” He slams a panel on the monitor with rather more force than necessary.</p><p>“But … we can try, right?”</p><p>Leonard feels his temper soften to the fragile promise in Jim voice. Hell if he can remember why he was angry in the first place. </p><p>“Yeah. Yeah, sure.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t throw himself at Jim.</p><p>Instead, he forces himself to go to work at Starfleet Medical every damn day, forces himself to let Jim out of his sight, because if he doesn’t learn how to do that <em>right now</em>, he never will. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you have some shore leave racked up? I know I do.”</p><p>Leonard takes a sip of bourbon that’s palatable at best. “Yeah. Lost count a bit, I’m afraid. Why?”</p><p>Out of the Enterprise’s staff officers, only Sulu has taken shore leave, visiting family, because Jim insisted. Everyone else is here at Starfleet Headquarters because, well, where else would they go? </p><p>Except into space.</p><p>“Never mind.” Jim waves away the bartender’s offer of a refill (<em>anything, sir, our special, sir, for you, anything</em>). “Let’s get out of here.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>They wander the streets of San Francisco without aim or direction until they are standing on top of the Lyon Street Steps.</p><p>Below, tiny little drones are signalling in the darkness, repairing the damage done where Khan crashed the Vengeance. </p><p>It’s late, the night air is cold, and the stairs are utterly deserted, as if no one else can bear this view of Starfleet in ruins.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It hurts to be without Jim, when they’re caught up in their respective duties, but it also hurts to be <em>with</em> Jim, the way Jim slams him against the wall of his quarters and kisses him until he can’t <em>breathe</em>.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“What are we doing, Bones?”</p><p>What they should do is get up because the sheets are soaked with sweat and come and it’s <em>gross</em>.</p><p>“Do you need me to find some anatomical drawings to explain it to you?” </p><p>Jim doesn’t even attempt to smile. “It’ll only be a few months now before we’re heading back out there.”</p><p>They’re currently waiting on the crew postings, all the new people assigned to the Enterprise for this unprecedented five year mission. Rumor has it a lot of them will be recent graduates, due to staff shortages. But Leonard doesn’t want to think about that. He doesn’t want to think about anything. Not yet. </p><p>So he grumbles, “Don’t remind me.” </p><p>“I mean, it’s just …” Jim gestures around the room. “This is new to me.”</p><p>“Me, too.”</p><p>“But you were …” Jim falters, confused. “Okay.”</p><p>“Why don’t you channel that nervous energy into somethin’ useful and get us a cloth?”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Starfleet has received a distress signal from the SS Valiant, which went missing at the galactic barrier 200 years ago.” Images and charts flare into life behind Jim’s chair. “I’ve been given temporary command of the USS Bradbury so we can render assistance.”</p><p>Chekov, Uhura, Scotty and Spock all start talking at the same time.</p><p>“Did you know the galactic barrier was actually first discovered by a Russian astronomer who —” </p><p>“Have we pinpointed the precise origin of the signal yet, Captain? I can scan for any old Federation frequencies and —” </p><p>“But that’s like the Bermuda triangle for starships, sir! We cannae go there, sir, I really must protest —” </p><p>“One day it may become necessary to venture across the galactic barrier. It is therefore imperative that we —” </p><p>Leonard doesn’t say anything. Neither does Cupcake, who still looks stunned at having been appointed Chief Security Officer. Nor Rand, who is handing out padds. </p><p>“Thank you!” Jim’s voice cut through the chatter. Immediate silence descends upon the briefing room. “Shuttle for the Bradbury leaves at 2100 hours, so let’s make this quick. Be advised that Psych will join us to conduct some sort of study. They’ll explain en route. Besides, as Mr Sulu is still on shore leave, I have requested Lieutenant Gary Mitchell to join us as Chief Helmsman for this mission.”</p><p>Jim’s jackass former roommate on the bridge? Leonard raises his padd to hide his lips curling in disgust. At least it’s not the Enterprise.</p><p>“We will also be joined by Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney, our new Chief Records Officer.”</p><p>This just keeps getting better. Leonard remembers Finney from the Academy. Their year, Command track, survived Nero’s attack “thanks” to a suspension, only now reinstated and, apparently, assigned to the Enterprise. </p><p>“Mr Chekov,” Jim continues. “You will continue to shadow Mr Scott in Engineering on this mission. It’s also a trial run for the new warp core regulations and I need my best people on it.”</p><p>One beat passes, maybe even two, before Chekov and Scotty offer a unisono, “Yes, sir.”</p><p>“You’ll find the details of the mission on your padds. See you on the shuttle. Dismissed.”</p><p>Amid the general shuffling, Leonard finally looks at his padd, which … doesn’t have a briefing on it. </p><p>Frowning, he calls up the current duty roster of the USS Bradbury. <em>Commanding Officer, Cpt. James T. Kirk. First Officer, Cmdr. Spock. Chief Engineer, Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott. Chief Medical Officer, Cmdr. Dr Mark —</em></p><p>He stares. </p><p>
  <em>Cmdr. Dr Mark Piper.</em>
</p><p>What.</p><p>At first, he suspects one of Starfleet Medical’s tired power plays, placing the Lieutenant Commander under the command of the Bradbury’s existing CMO, but even as he scrolls down the list of Medical, then Science at large, and finally the entire damn crew, his name is <em>not there</em>.</p><p>He looks up. Everyone else has already left, except for Jim, who’s just making for the door. </p><p>“Hold on a minute, <em>Captain</em>.” </p><p>Jim pauses. “Yes, Doctor?”</p><p>“There’s a mistake in the briefin’ package. As in, I don’t have it.”</p><p>Jim’s gaze shifts to the floor. “Oh, no, that’s actually right, you’re not going. I shouldn’t even have had you summoned to this briefing. Sorry. I just told Rand to assemble the Enterprise staff officers and I didn’t —”</p><p>“What do you mean <em>I’m not goin’</em>?”</p><p>Jim has the nerve to shrug. “It’s only one mission, and it’s not even the Enterprise. The Bradbury’s medbay is probably laid out and stocked to Piper’s specification, it’d just drive you crazy.”</p><p>“Never mind Piper! I’m your goddamn CMO! I go where you go.”</p><p>“Thought you’d be glad not to be dragged into space for once. Besides, you heard Scotty, it could be —”</p><p>“Dangerous?” He is way past anger now, past caring. “It’s <em>Starfleet</em>, of course it’s dangerous! That’s the job! Let me do my job! Damnit, Jim. When I said that top of the list is you being my commandin’ officer, this is what I <em>meant</em>!”</p><p>“Relax, Bones. It’s one mission. We’ll be back before you know it. It’s not like you leave Starfleet Medical much these days anyway.”</p><p>“What the hell is that supposed to —”</p><p>“<em>Dr McCoy</em>.” Jim looks up and that’s the Captain, right there, calm and final and yet, somehow, hurt. “You’re <em>dismissed</em>.”</p><p>“Yes, <em>sir</em>,” Leonard tells the closing door.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes, on the Enterprise, in an emergency, Leonard would have to gauge what was going on out there by the incoming casualties. Sometimes, it would be Spock giving orders on the intercom, or there would be an away mission with geological <em>interference</em>, or just another one of Jim’s <em>awful</em> ideas, and all of those instances would involve Leonard stuck in medbay with no idea whether Jim was alive or dead. </p><p>He’s always thought that kind of uncertainty excruciating.</p><p>Now, pacing up and down in his quarters, in San Francisco, on Earth, while waiting for the news, any news from the Bradbury, waiting for Jim to come back … now he knows better.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He wants to be angry at Jim for leaving him behind but after a couple of days he’s so exhausted he ends up just being worried.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Leonard is on the first shuttle up to the spacedock.</p><p>As he shoulders his way through the disembarking Bradbury crew, he can’t help but notice that they all look like they’ve been through hell and are now contemplating whether staying there would have been the better option.</p><p>Goddamnit.</p><p>He runs past Finney barking at the shuttle crew to hurry up with unloading the supplies and past Scotty ranting about <em>those bloody deflectors</em> and past someone, Chekov or maybe even Piper, calling his name, runs through the emptying corridors into the nearest turbolift. </p><p>“Bridge.”</p><p>When the turbolift opens, there’s only three people left on the bridge, and both the navigator (not Gary Mitchell) and someone at the Operations station stop and stare at him. He must look a picture, he realizes, wide-eyed and out of breath and just a little bit insane. </p><p>At the center of it all, Jim slowly swirls the Captain’s chair around to face him and whatever Leonard might have said dissipates into recycled air.</p><p>The other two don’t move. No one breathes.</p><p>“Give us the room.”</p><p>Jim’s order is calm and controlled and the bridge clears faster than an emergency transport.</p><p>In the resulting silence, Leonard becomes aware of their surroundings for the first time. It’s the bridge, yes, for all intents and purposes it should look and smell and feel exactly like the Enterprise, but … it doesn’t.</p><p>He finally remembers what he’s meant to say. It’s, “What the hell happened?”</p><p>“Gary …” Jim looks away. “Gary is dead.”</p><p>“What?” Now, personally, Leonard couldn’t care less about Gary Mitchell, but if Piper screwed this up, so help him God … “How?” </p><p>“I had to … When we passed through that barrier, it did … something to the people with high esper rating, and you know Gary, his rating was off the charts, it struck him hardest, and he became … powerful. Almost godlike. Telepathy, telekinesis, you name it. We tried to stop him, reason with him, then maroon him, but he killed Kelso and I … I had to kill him before he killed us all.”</p><p>“Oh my God, Jim, I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Damnit, he should have <em>been</em> there. For Jim, if nothing else.</p><p>“You …” Jim looks up again, voice breaking. “You were right. I didn’t <em>think</em>. I just didn’t think about how it would work out, with me as the Captain and you as the CMO, and I guess I didn’t want to think about it, not yet, so when Dr Dehner mentioned she’d prefer Piper, I —”</p><p>“Woah, back up a moment. <em>Elizabeth</em> Dehner?” </p><p>Jim nods.</p><p>Just like that, the anger comes flooding back in. “So let me get this straight. You kicked me off your duty roster because Elizabeth Dehner would <em>prefer</em> not to work with me? Are you for <em>real</em>? Just because Elizabeth can’t handle the fact that I wasn’t interested in a relationship after a one hook-up that was mediocre at best? What the hell gives her the right —”</p><p>“Bones, <em>please stop</em>.” All color has drained from Jim’s face. “She’s dead, too.”</p><p>“She’s —” The barrier. Did something. To people with high esper rating. Oh, Lord. Elizabeth. Leonard stumbles backwards and grips the railing for support. “Goddamnit, Jim!”</p><p>“But you know what …” Jim’s voice is dripping venom. “You’re right again. Just because some psych consult doesn’t want to work with my CMO doesn’t mean I should warp into space without him. It wasn’t really her fault, you know. I was just … Like I said, I didn’t want to think about how it would work out. So when she asked for Piper, I didn’t exactly put up a fight.”</p><p>“And …” Leonard forces himself to exhale, for composure. He doesn’t let go of the railing. “Have you thought about it since then?”</p><p>“Hell yeah. I’ve done pretty much nothing but <em>think about it</em> all the way back to Earth.”</p><p>“And …?” </p><p>Jim straightens up in the chair, every inch the Captain. “I’m <em>never</em> going into space without you <em>ever again</em>.”</p><p>It’s not until he hears those words that Leonard realizes he fully expected Jim, when forced to choose between him and the Enterprise, to go for the latter. But then he should also have realized that an exclusive choice like that would be a no-win scenario and he’s talking to James Tiberius <em>Kirk</em>.</p><p>Leonard wants to laugh. Or cry. Or both. </p><p>“Damn right you ain’t.”</p><p>Jim smiles, so Leonard does, too, and finally lets go of that railing. </p><p> </p><p>###</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In TOS, this episode takes place before McCoy is assigned to the Enterprise. In the AOS comics, McCoy is on this mission, but Elizabeth Dehner requested transfer away from the Enterprise because she had an affair with McCoy that ended badly. Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney is borrowed from the episode "Court Martial".</p><p>The following chapters will be longer, I promise ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Corbomite Maneuver</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: implied references Tarsus IV.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s some commotion by the door of medbay. Probably yet another crewmember opposed to a routine physical.</p>
<p>Leonard knows why he’s had his staff start scheduling them as soon as possible. Long-range missions mandate quarterly physicals and they have four years and fifty-one weeks to go. That’s a <em>lot</em> of physicals.</p>
<p>He doesn’t get up, not yet. Let someone on his staff sort it out. They need the practise, too.</p>
<p>“This is ridiculous,” he hears a rather familiar voice snap. “Where’s Dr McCoy?”</p>
<p>Leonard rolls his eyes as he gets to his feet.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, sir?” That’s Technician Karen Tracy. Fresh out of the Starfleet Technical Services Academy.</p>
<p>“Come on, you know him, tall, grumpy, Southern drawl, and not to mention the Chief Medical Officer?”</p>
<p>Leonard rounds the corner.</p>
<p>“Bones! Thank God. Can you explain to your technician here that I don’t need —”</p>
<p>“Captain.” Leonard puts on his sugary-sweetest smile. “I see you’ve managed to pass the first part of your physical by arrivin’ on time. We’re makin’ progress here!”</p>
<p>Jim gapes at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”</p>
<p>Leonard turns to Tracy, who is staring between him and Jim, eyes wide and terrified. “Remind me of Starfleet Medical Code 5 Section A?”</p>
<p>Tracy snaps to attention. “A Captain’s physical falls under the purview of the Chief Medical Officer, sir.”</p>
<p>“As you were, then.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Leonard frowns at Tracy’s retreating back. That one is definitely Starfleet first and a medical technician second. Most of the new crewmembers are like this. </p>
<p>He turns back to Jim. First things first. “Well then, Captain. You’re not gettin’ out of this, so let’s just get it done.”</p>
<p>“You know …” Jim strips off the golden Captain’s shirt. “If you wanted to see me naked that badly, you could just have swung by my quarters.”</p>
<p>It could have been flirty and suggestive, but actually, Jim sounds hurt. </p>
<p>Not that it’s Leonard’s fault. Or Jim’s. </p>
<p>They just haven’t seen each other much recently. In the weeks leading up to the launch of the five year mission, and now, a week into it, settling into their new duties and routines, they’ve just been too busy to fuck or kiss or even <em>talk</em> about anything other than medical supplies. And those many recent graduates on the duty roster.</p>
<p>“Mind out of the gutter,” Leonard grumbles. “Now get on the biobed.”</p>
<p>“Or else what, you’ll make me?” </p>
<p>“Not that kind of physical, <em>sir</em>.” He checks the biobed readouts. “You know what, your blood pressure is a little high.”</p>
<p>“Big deal, Bones. Maybe I just don’t like physicals.”</p>
<p>“High blood pressure is no joke, damnit.” Leonard runs a tricorder up and down Jim’s body. By sheer strength of professionalism, he keeps his hands off Jim’s abs. “You don’t have a history of that, so we need to keep an eye on it.”</p>
<p>“History?” </p>
<p>“There’s nothin’ in your medical records about high blood pressure.”</p>
<p>“Hang on, you’ve read my medical records?” </p>
<p>The monitor conveniently shows Jim’s pulse spiking. They have to stop meeting like this.</p>
<p>“No, I am dangerously derelict in my duties! Damnit, man, what do you <em>think</em>? Of course I’ve read your records! I’m the CMO, I’ve read <em>everyone’s</em> records.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>And there’s something in those records which has been bugging Leonard ever since he first looked at them, something in Jim’s <em>bones</em> of all things. For all intents and purposes, for Jim’s current health and duties, it’s not relevant, at least Starfleet Medical don’t seem to think it relevant or someone would have flagged it long before it landed on Leonard’s desk and in his <em>bed</em>, but …</p>
<p>When the red lights flash, he isn’t sure whether he’s grateful or annoyed. </p>
<p>“Attention all decks. Red alert. All decks, red alert. Captain to the bridge,” Sulu’s voice rings from the intercom.</p>
<p>Sometimes, Leonard wishes he could just mute the whole damn thing.</p>
<p>But he’s not just a doctor, not anymore, he’s also a senior Starfleet officer, so he can’t mute the intercom, especially not a red alert, and so Jim is off the bed and dressed again and out of the door before Leonard has even opened his mouth. </p>
<p>Annoyed it is.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Supervising preparations for the emergency, Leonard is pleased to see his new head nurse, Tom Krejci, take charge of running through triage procedures and check-in rosters once more, just in case. </p>
<p>Before they left Earth, Leonard conducted countless drills for just about any scenario imaginable. These people, like him, underwent extensive medical training before they enlisted in Starfleet, and he’s managed to recruit several experienced crewmembers that served on the Enterprise before. Not Christine, unfortunately, but he’s got M’Benga on beta shift. He’s got <em>good</em> people.</p>
<p>But many of them are barely out of the Technical Services Academy, like Tracy, or Krejci, and no amount of drills or training missions or even med school can prepare someone for an emergency in space, where everything is always unimaginable and, around them, there is nothing but the void.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard gives the bridge another five minutes before he hits the intercom in exasperation. “McCoy to bridge, what is the emergency?”</p>
<p>“There’s some sort of cube in our way, Doctor.”</p>
<p>It takes him a moment to place the voice. Dave Bailey. Navigator. Lieutenant. Fast-tracked two year course. One of the overeager starstruck graduates Jim picked to take over for when Chekov is shadowing Scotty. Because, new warp core regulations. </p>
<p>But that’s not Leonard’s problem. The red alert is.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, some sort of cube? Is it a ship? Does it have weapons?” </p>
<p>“Unknown, Doctor. I’ll, uhm, I will let you know when we find out more. Bridge out.”</p>
<p>Leonard frowns at the silent intercom. </p>
<p>Most seasoned Enterprise crew would call an unidentified object a welcome break from the current thrill of marking star maps. Apparently not Bailey. No, Bailey sounded <em>afraid</em>. Which, if one asks Leonard, is a perfectly reasonable reaction, but …</p>
<p>Bailey is not seasoned Enterprise crew. Like in medbay, a lot of the bridge crew aren’t. </p>
<p>God help them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim orders all staff officers to report personally. </p>
<p>Alone, in the turbolift, Leonard realizes that he isn’t looking forward to shocking any more fresh blood by daring to talk back to Captain Kirk. </p>
<p>He feels old.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Several hours into trying to find a way to get around this still unidentified cube, the star map is blurring in front of Leonard’s eyes. He’s either had too much coffee or too little, but he’s too damn beat to figure out which, so he pours more, if only to have something to do.</p>
<p>Looking around the briefing room, the others aren’t faring much better. Where the hell is Chekov?</p>
<p>“There is no change in the cube’s position,” Finney reports.</p>
<p>“Can’t we just fire on it?” Bailey asks.</p>
<p>Oh, Lord. </p>
<p>Jim orders a spiral course away from the cube and it’s the best thing Leonard heard in, well, several hours. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Back in medbay, Leonard can do nothing but watch the radiation climb on the monitors. That spiral course from the cube must be working very well indeed. The Enterprise rumbles from firing main phasers, which he can just tell by now, then is rocked by something he can’t tell but it’s probably that damn cube.</p>
<p>He <em>hates</em> space.</p>
<p>“Attention all crew,” Spock’s voice sounds from the intercom. “The cube has been destroyed. Damage to the ship is minimal. We will remain in position while that damage is being repaired. All on-duty engineers, report to Mr Scott for assignments.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard has just overseen another much needed shift change and is preparing to hand over the remaining check-in roster to beta shift when the doors of medbay swish open.</p>
<p>Apparently, some idiot thought a red alert would be the best time to do a bit of maintenance down a Jefferies tube and got a broken leg for the trouble.</p>
<p>Minimal damage. </p>
<p>He hates space.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as Ensign Harper is resting in the osteo-regenerator, Leonard leaves medbay in the hands of M’Benga and stalks out.</p>
<p>He doesn’t need to ask the computer to locate Captain Kirk. Jim will still be on the bridge. So that’s where Leonard heads. It’s just his duty, he tells himself, the Captain’s health is his duty, he just needs to make sure Jim gets some food and some sleep. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he comes onto the bridge, Jim is ordering additional drills for navigation and engineering.</p>
<p>Then Jim turns around, puts Spock in command, and walks Leonard back into the turbolift without any further explanation.</p>
<p>He should probably worry what the bridge crew think about that, but Jim’s right there and Leonard doesn’t give a damn about anything else.</p>
<p>The turbolift carries them away towards the Captain’s quarters.</p>
<p>Overhead, on the intercom, Sulu and Bailey are dutifully running battle simulations.</p>
<p>Leonard is tired and hungry and <em>off duty</em>. He doesn’t want to ask, but he has to, so he does, “Why are you having them run drills <em>now</em>? Most of them have been on duty for hours.”</p>
<p>“Which makes it all the more important because they need to know how to function under stress!”</p>
<p>“Sulu is —”</p>
<p>“I’m not talking about Sulu!” Jim stops and frowns, like shouting at Leonard was an accident.</p>
<p>But it wasn’t, and as much as Leonard wants to just let this go, he can’t. “Bailey?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. But not just him. I mean … we’ve discussed this before, the roster, all those graduates, and how we can get them into shape in the time that we have, and I know everyone is trying their hardest, but …”</p>
<p>“They’re not ready.” </p>
<p>Jim slumps back against the wall of the turbolift. “You know, for all his wanting to fire on the ship, Bailey <em>froze</em> when he was actually supposed to fire phasers at an object in imminent danger of destroying the Enterprise and if that had been Romulans or Klingons or … or <em>something</em>, we’d all be <em>dead</em>. Don’t they understand that?”</p>
<p>They don’t. They can’t. Not yet.</p>
<p>“We lost too many,” Jim whispers.</p>
<p>That they did. They’d lost people when Khan fired on the Enterprise and levelled half of Starfleet Headquarters, but even that number pales to the aftershocks of losing nearly three years’ worth of cadets as well as countless senior personnel and experienced officers to Nero’s attack only two years ago.</p>
<p>Leonard should probably say something uplifting, but what comes out is, “Ensign Harper broke his leg falling down a Jefferies tube during the incident with the cube.” </p>
<p>Jim stares at him. “How the fuck did that happen? What was he doing down a Jefferies tube in the middle of a red alert, damnit, what is Scotty doing, I <em>told</em> him —”</p>
<p>“Jim,” Leonard interrupts, none too gently. “Stop. It’s like you said. Everyone’s tryin’ their best.”</p>
<p>“Their best isn’t good enough! Damnit, Bones, you of all people should know this. When doctors make mistakes, people <em>die</em>. The same goes for any Starfleet officer. And as the Captain, it’s my responsibility to make sure no one is in a position to make a mistake.”</p>
<p>As much as Leonard wants to, he can’t disagree, so he just reaches out and squeezes Jim’s shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the Captain’s quarters, Leonard shamelessly abuses the personal replicator to get some food for the both of them.</p>
<p>On the intercom, those damn drills continue. He wants to mute them, but knows that he can’t. The Captain, after all, is never really off duty. And the Captain has a regrettable habit of forgetting to eat under stress. </p>
<p>So Leonard tends to his own duties. “Eat.”</p>
<p>“What the hell is that?” Jim stares at the salad as if it were a personal insult.</p>
<p>“In case you forgot, your health is my responsibility.”</p>
<p>“Do you want me to <em>starve</em>?” </p>
<p>Leonard frowns. Even considering that habit of forgetting to eat, there’s something in the way Jim says that word, something that would line up with those scans that have been bugging him and even the high blood pressure and … </p>
<p>Jim’s eyes go wide, like an injured animal staring at a predator, desperate but unable to run.</p>
<p>This is <em>bad</em>. </p>
<p>This is trauma and red line and <em>do not cross</em>. </p>
<p>“This is a perfectly nutritious and protein-rich salad,” Leonard snaps by way of damage control. “Get over yourself.”</p>
<p>Jim is still staring. </p>
<p>“Just eat your damn greens.”</p>
<p>He stabs a bean in his own salad and Jim snaps out of whatever it was and shovels the salad down, just in time for Sulu saying, “This is not a drill,” and Spock reporting a much larger object heading towards them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard has just reached medbay again when an alien voice comes on the intercom, threatening to destroy the Enterprise, <em>obviously the product of a primitive and savage civilization …</em></p>
<p>Before anyone can get too nervous about that, the alien does something to their systems that makes half the stations cackle with white lights. There are screams, but no one appears to be  injured. </p>
<p><em>Your ship must be destroyed</em>, the alien intones.</p>
<p>“Everyone, remain calm!” Leonard shouts over the nervous chatter. Most of alpha shift has returned, and he really should order them off duty, but he can’t. “M’Benga, you’re in charge of triage. Tracy, grab two people and check the systems over. I’ll coordinate with the bridge.”</p>
<p>“Doctor, what the alien said …” Tracy’s hands are shaking. Damn.</p>
<p>“That’s irrelevant to y’all performin’ your duties to the standards I expect!”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” Tracy turns to the nearest smoking station.</p>
<p>From across medbay, M’Benga catches his eye, nodding. Good. M’Benga will handle this. </p>
<p>Now for saving the ship …</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the way to the turbolift, Leonard passes several crewmembers who whisper to each other nervously.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he snaps in their general direction. “Don’t you have somethin’ better to do than panic in the middle of the corridor?”</p>
<p>“But Doctor, the alien —”</p>
<p>He spots a few more seasoned crewmembers among the nervous gaggle.</p>
<p>“They have a better chance of succeedin’ if y’all don’t get to your goddamn battle stations! <em>Move</em>!”</p>
<p>That has come out far harsher and louder than he intended, but they all spring into action at his words. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the bridge, the first thing he does is tell Jim that the whole ship heard the message.</p>
<p>Jim gets it, of course, and sends something uplifting down the intercom. Leonard finds that he’s not listening so much to the words, but rather to Jim’s pitch, calm and reassured and in control. </p>
<p>They might get out of this yet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That’s when the alien announces it will grant them ten minutes to get in touch with their deity or deities before it will destroy their ship.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bailey is the one who cracks. “What is <em>wrong</em> with you people? How can you just sit around here like nothing is wrong when we’re all going to die? Oh, God, we’re going to <em>die</em>, this is the end, we’re —”</p>
<p>“You’re <em>relieved</em>, Lieutenant” Jim interrupts. “Escort him to his quarters, Doctor.”</p>
<p>“Medbay,” Leonard ventures. Where he can keep Bailey sedated, if need be.</p>
<p>Jim nods. “Go.”</p>
<p>Leonard ushers Bailey into the turbolift when they have seven minutes thirty seconds to live. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Emergency mode is inoperative, so the turbolift takes 47 seconds from bridge to medbay, which is 47 seconds that Leonard doesn’t have right now.</p>
<p>“Krejci! See to it that Bailey stays put. Keep an eye on his vitals.” Looking around medbay, no one else has managed to get themselves injured by sheer stupidity while he was gone. Thank the Lord for small mercies. “If he tries to leave, or shows any signs of aggression, sedate him. I’ll be on the bridge.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” </p>
<p>Krejci’s voice wavers so much Leonard finds himself turning around once more on his way out of the door and says, “You heard the Captain. We will get out of this.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” echoes around medbay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard walks back onto the bridge when they have four minutes to live.</p>
<p>He’s fairly confident Jim will find a way out of this.</p>
<p>Fairly.</p>
<p>But still, if he has to die, he wants to do it standing by Jim’s side. </p>
<p>He tries to distract himself by thinking about what to write in Bailey’s report. Anything between <em>fatigue</em> and <em>unfit to be an officer of Starfleet</em> is currently up for consideration. </p>
<p>Spock is talking about checkmate. </p>
<p>“You bridge officers and your obsession with chess,” Leonard grumbles, if only to drown out Spock’s smug fatalism and Sulu’s goddamn <em>countdown</em>.</p>
<p>Three minutes. </p>
<p>“Oh, what did you do in med school, then?” Jim’s eyes narrow. “Let me guess. You guys played poker.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he admits, caught. </p>
<p>“Actually …” Jim starts grinning, in the way that is always followed by <em>Captain James T. Kirk Has An Idea, Better Hold On To Something</em>. “A little poker might be exactly what we need right now.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim lies to this alien about <em>a substance known as corbomite</em> which will destroy any enemy vessel that attacks them and hell if it isn’t the best bluff Leonard has ever seen. </p>
<p>There’s no reply from the alien, which is a bad sign. Spock starts reminiscing, which is a <em>really</em> bad sign.</p>
<p>Leonard moves to stand behind the Captain’s chair, a hand on Jim’s shoulder.</p>
<p>Sulu’s countdown goes <em>three, two, one</em> and somehow, they don’t die.</p>
<p>Not yet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The alien raises them proof of the corbomite, and then catches them in a tractor beam, sprouting more threats about imprisoning them and destroying the Enterprise.</p>
<p>Only the ship sent to tow them is tiny and Spock notices its power lowering and Sulu notices their speed decreasing.</p>
<p>Jim grins.</p>
<p>Leonard finds something to hold on to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim’s maneuver to break free of the tractor beam nearly kills them all, but it works.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The alien raises again, this time with a distress call due to failing life-support on the little ship. </p>
<p>“Plot a course for it,” Jim orders. </p>
<p>“<em>For</em> it, sir?” Sulu asks, understandably confused.</p>
<p>“I won’t stand by when there are lives at stake. In fact, I’m going over there. Dr McCoy, you’re with me, in case anyone requires medical attention. We’ll grab someone from security, too.”</p>
<p>“Inadvisable, Captain,” Spock says. “This has all the appearances of a trap.”</p>
<p>“Which is why, Mr Spock, I am leaving you in command here. Bones, you coming?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Out of all the things he expected, an alien looking like a little boy offering them seats on pink plush sofas and drinks and an honest-to-God <em>tour</em> of his vessel because <em>it was a pleasure testing you</em>, well … let’s just say it was pretty low on the list.</p>
<p>But then, when has anyone ever cared about Leonard’s lists?</p>
<p>Trying to extract themselves from the alien’s hospitality takes longer than a Southern family gathering, so long that Leonard starts considering it might be a trap after all, but, eventually, the alien lets them go. Just like that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There’s one more thing,” Leonard says, when they step off the transporter pad. </p>
<p>Jim sighs. “I know. Bailey. I need to write a report. Fuck. I need to —”</p>
<p>“It’s a medical thing more than a command thing now. Let me handle this.”</p>
<p>Jim starts as if to protest, then doesn’t. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Leonard enters medbay, he is beyond relieved to see that everyone is going about their business quietly and efficiently. Most beds are unoccupied.</p>
<p>M’Benga walks up and hands him a padd. “My shift report. We checked in with every crewmember again as per your roster. A few more minor injuries sustained during the maneuvers, sprained ankles, that kind of thing. Nothing major. We did have to sedate Lieutenant Bailey, though.”</p>
<p>Leonard curses beneath his breath. “How is he now?”</p>
<p>“Physically, he’s fine. Mentally …” M’Benga shrugs. “I’d recommend seeing a counsellor at the next starbase. Or the moment we finally get one onboard. There’s been no progress on that front, by the way.”</p>
<p>“I’ll make a note to check with the Captain. Thanks.” </p>
<p>M’Benga nods, if slightly surprised, probably at the rare thank you. </p>
<p>Speaking of which … “The crew?”</p>
<p>“Exemplary.” </p>
<p>Thank God. M’Benga would not mince words if they hadn’t been. Leonard will still have to make sure to talk to everyone himself, gauging performance and morale. He’s the CMO, after all.</p>
<p>Leonard always wanted to be a doctor, a surgeon, he never wanted to be in <em>command</em> of anything, not even a medbay, and certainly not when they were alone in space, and yet here he is. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How are you feeling, Lieutenant?”</p>
<p>Bailey blinks up at him. “I, uh, I don’t know, sir, what happened?”</p>
<p>“There was a red alert. You panicked.”</p>
<p>“But …” Bailey frowns, remembering. “We were about to die!”</p>
<p>“And yet, here we are. You do realize who the Captain of this ship is, right? You must have seen him on the newsfeed before. The way you stare at him like a lovesick puppy.”</p>
<p>Bailey flinches so violently Leonard swears he can hear Jim scolding his <em>bedside manners</em> in the back of his mind. Damnit.</p>
<p>“Alright, kid. You panicked. It happens. But when it happens under a red alert, the Captain has to relieve you of duty, for everyone’s sake. Because the Captain can only do the brilliant insane maneuvers he does if everyone on his crew performs brilliantly as well. You do understand that, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Bailey nods. </p>
<p>Leonard decides to let the <em>you’re talking to a senior officer</em> protocol slide. He’s a doctor, here, first and foremost.</p>
<p>“Now you get used to the idea of still being alive. And when you’ve got the hang of that, we’ll sit you down with Pavel Chekov, our most experienced navigator, and draw up a trainin’ plan for you.”</p>
<p>“But, uhm, Doctor …” Bailey looks scared again now. “What if, uh, what if I can’t cut it?”</p>
<p>“Then you can disembark at the next starbase. Give yourself until then. And if you feel unwell, you report to medbay. Understood?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Bailey says.</p>
<p>Leonard decides to take that as a good sign. “Get some rest, Lieutenant.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later, in the Captain’s quarters, after the bourbon and after the sex, but before Leonard thinks that he really should be getting back to his own quarters, Jim says, “I missed you.”</p>
<p>Frowning, Leonard sits up on the bed. </p>
<p>“I mean, I’ve missed …” Jim gestures around the room. “This. The sex, yes, obviously, but, and this is going to sound pathetic, I’ve also missed just kind of … talking to you. Like in the turbolift or over lunch … dinner … whatever it was.”</p>
<p>“Lunch. I think. Wouldn’t bet on it.”</p>
<p>“See?” Jim smiles. “I need you. As my CMO, yes, as the guy who reminds me to play poker instead of chess sometimes, yeah, that too, but most of all, I just need … you.”</p>
<p>“Well …” Leonard squeezes Jim’s hand. “I’m right here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In TOS, McCoy does mute the ship’s alarm in sickbay (but then, in TOS, McCoy did not attend Starfleet Academy). Bailey returns to his post later in the episode, goes over to Balok’s ship with Kirk and McCoy and volunteers to stay there for an exchange of cultures (or something).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Man Trap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: brief discussion of past alcohol abuse, past death in the family (father; adapted from The Final Frontier, more details in the end notes) and of past suicidal thoughts.</p><p>In the TOS episode, Nancy Crater is a former lover of McCoy’s.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We got a mission, Bones! An away mission. And you’re coming with me!”</p><p>Shielded behind his station in medbay, Leonard rolls his eyes. “And what thrillin’ adventure will you be leadin’ us on this time, Captain?”</p><p>“Oh, it’s a <em>thrillin’</em> routine medical check of a couple doing archaeological research on a planet nearby. Starfleet asked us to take care of it since it’s on our way. Are you feeling the thrill yet?”</p><p>Leonard doesn’t feel the thrill. He feels the dread. “Which planet?”</p><p>“M-113.” Jim must have sensed his unease, and, frowning, supplies more information, “The couple is human, actually, Professor Robert Crater and his wife, Nancy Crater.”</p><p>It’s a small universe.</p><p>By way of a reply, he only manages, “I’ll be damned.” </p><p>“You know them?”</p><p>He considers lying, but then, he wouldn’t, not to Jim. “Yeah. Not well, but … Nancy is an old friend of Jocelyn’s, back from when we were all at Ole Miss together. Crater was a professor there, that’s where the two of them met.”</p><p>“And who’s Jocelyn?”</p><p>Leonard … laughs. It sounds hysterical, because it <em>is</em> hysterical, and he has to stop but he can’t. He’s known Jim for five years, they’ve been sleeping with each other for over a year now, and yet, somehow, Leonard never got around to mentioning the name of, “My ex-wife.” </p><p>“Oh.” </p><p>They’re in uncharted space now. By unspoken consent, after they’d got off the shuttle and walked through the gates of the Starfleet Academy, they’ve never really talked about all the madness from which they’d run away. </p><p>“Well,” Jim says, too flippantly to not be tense, “She’ll always be <em>that idiot woman</em> to me.”</p><p>It should be funny, but it isn’t. “How do you know she’s the idiot?”</p><p>“She let you go.”</p><p>Leonard should let this conversation go, because, madness, but it’s too late. “And how do you know it wasn’t me gettin’ it on with some hot Deltan twins or somethin’?”</p><p>“That’d be no reason to divorce you.”</p><p>“Oh, so cheatin’ is no big deal to you?” </p><p>Jim falters.</p><p>For a scary moment, Leonard realizes that in all their not-talking about <em>whatever-it-is-between-them</em>, they’ve also never talked about whether they’re exclusive. Images of all the people Jim chatted up and/or bedded during their years at the Academy flash through his mind. </p><p>For an even scarier moment, Leonard realizes that he <em>doesn’t care</em>.</p><p>“No,” Jim says, softly now. “That’s not what I meant. What I meant is that someone who lets you go must be an idiot, <em>no matter what</em> you did, or didn’t, do.”</p><p>Right.</p><p>No matter what, eh?</p><p>The hysterical laughter threatens again, but he swallows it down. This has gone on for far too long. </p><p>“So, the mission.” He reaches for his medkit. “Sir. When do we leave?”</p><p>Jim stares at him. “Whenever you’re ready. Doctor.”</p><p>“Let’s go, then.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The planet is a barren rock desert that Leonard could have happily lived his life without visiting. The door to the hut stands open, so they enter.</p><p>“Professor Crater?” Jim calls out.</p><p>“Len!” Nancy smiles at him and he feels nauseous because no one has called him that in a very long time. “I didn’t know Starfleet would send <em>you</em>! What a pleasant surprise!”</p><p>Five years, to be exact.</p><p>Nancy doesn’t look a day older, but maybe, five years isn’t that long after all.</p><p>“Can I just say …” Nancy puts a hand on his arm. “Jocelyn told me what happened. I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Even from across the room, he can feel Jim flinch.</p><p>“Yeah, me too.” He peels Nancy’s hand off his arm. Nancy looks at him oddly. “This, er, this is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise.”</p><p>Jim puts on a diplomatic grin. “A pleasure, Mrs Crater.”</p><p>“The pleasure is mine, Captain.”</p><p>“And Specialist Darnell.” Leonard indicates the science guy who drew the short straw of having to fill the numbers on the landing party.</p><p>“Yeah,” Darnell says, or rather, drools. “Definitely a pleasure, ma’am.”</p><p>Jim frowns. “Are you alright, Spedialist?”</p><p>“I’m sorry, sir, I just thought I’ve met the lady before, but that was … on Risa, that’s impossible, but —”</p><p>“<em>Specialist</em>.” Oh, the Captain is not amused. There will be <em>words</em> about <em>respect</em> when they’re back on the Enterprise. “Go and wait outside.”</p><p>“Yes, sir.” Darnell vanishes.</p><p>Jim turns to Leonard. “Should I wait outside, too?”</p><p>Leonard’s hand shoots out and catches Jim’s wrist on instinct, sheer basic survival instinct, because apparently, he is that pathetic. “No, let’s wait for the professor, I’d rather catch them both. Uh, Nancy, where is he?”</p><p>“Oh, probably at the dig. I’ll go find him for you, just wait here.”</p><p>Nancy skips out of the door.</p><p>Jim frowns at Leonard, who busies himself with his tricorder. The faster they get this done, the better.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Professor Robert Crater waltzes in a few moments later, without Nancy, and appears to have aged about two decades since Ole Miss.</p><p>“Oh, great, Captain Starfleet! This is absolutely unnecessary, I am perfectly healthy, thank you. You can leave us some salt tablets and we’ll be completely fine. Now shoo!”</p><p>Some things, apparently, haven’t changed. Just Leonard’s luck.</p><p>“Professor, I am Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise and this is my Chief Medical Officer, Dr McCoy, who will —”</p><p>“McCoy?” Crater whirls around and looks at Leonard for the first time. “<em>You</em>!”</p><p>“Me,” Leonard confirms. “Now where’s Nancy? She went to get you.”</p><p>“You saw Nancy?” Somehow, that makes Crater uneasy.</p><p>“We sure did.”</p><p>“You, too, Captain?”</p><p>Frowning, Jim nods. “Yes, Professor.”</p><p>“Ah.” Crater whirls back towards Leonard. “You got some nerve! It isn’t enough for you to ruin your own family, eh, now you have to come halfway across the galaxy to ruin mine!”</p><p>Oh, Lord, here they go. Leonard makes a last-ditch attempt at composure, “Callin’ me names won’t get you out of this physical.”</p><p>“Don’t bullshit me, McCoy! You might have been able to fool the ladies, but me, I always knew you were no good!”</p><p>Leonard opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.</p><p>“Bet you’re still too fond of that bourbon of yours! And you call yourself a <em>doctor</em>! Starfleet really must be on its last legs if they let <em>you</em> in there!”</p><p>It’s not so much Crater’s ranting. Those words are the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It’s the <em>horrified</em> look in Jim’s eyes.</p><p>“You see, I <em>always</em> knew, I <em>told</em> Jocelyn —”</p><p>“Professor —” Jim intervenes.</p><p>“Jim, don’t —” </p><p>That’s when they hear the scream from outside.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>They find a tearful Nancy standing over a motionless Darnell.</p><p>Leonard feels for the pulse, but it’s not there. The tricorder confirms it.</p><p>“He’s dead, Jim.” </p><p>“How?”</p><p>Good question. There is no apparent external damage, apart from a strange kind of red mottling all over Darnell’s face. And …</p><p>“Looks like he swallowed something, some kind of plant maybe.”</p><p>They’ve been doing well on whipping the crew into shape. But if they have people in Science who can’t follow the most basic health and safety protocols, then they’re in deep shit.</p><p>“<em>You</em>!” That’s Jim’s voice. Leonard looks up to find Jim towering over a frankly terrified Nancy. “What the hell happened here?”</p><p>“Captain, I’m sorry, I was looking for Bob and then I found this man, he had a Borgia plant in his hands and I tried to stop him, but it was too late, I … I’m so sorry, Captain.” </p><p>There are tears in Nancy’s eyes.</p><p>It takes Leonard a moment to register exactly what Nancy has said. “We’ll have to take him up to the ship to check.”</p><p>“Oh yes, go and take him and never come back!” Crater has followed them.</p><p>“Not so fast, Professor,” Jim snaps. “We will take our crewmember, and find out exactly what killed him, and then, we’ll be back for you.” </p><p>Leonard can’t make himself look at Nancy, or Crater, and least of all Jim, so he just stares at Darnell’s corpse.</p><p>Jim flips his communicator open. “Kirk to transporter room, three to beam up.”</p><p>“Stand by, Captain,” someone replies. “Locking on to your signal.”</p><p>“Oh,” Nancy says over the whirl of the transporter, “but the salt, Bob, did you mention the salt …?”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Kirk to bridge. Anything?” </p><p>They’re standing over Darnell in medlab. </p><p>“Bridge here, Captain,” Spock says over intercom. “Records confirm the plant you found to be a Borgia plant. Alkaloid poison. However, we were unable to find any reference to the red mottling you described.”</p><p>“Thank you, Mr Spock. Kirk out.” Jim looks at Leonard, frowning. “So, did he eat the plant?”</p><p>Leonard shakes his head. “I don’t think so. He had the plant in his mouth, yes, alright, and Nancy said she saw him eat it, but this doesn’t look like alkaloid poisoning to me. I’ll have the contents of his stomach analyzed, to make sure, but I’m tellin’ you, that’s not it.”</p><p>Jim’s frown deepens. “So … Nancy lied?”</p><p>That’s a damn good question. “Maybe she did see him eat the plant, but somethin’ else killed him before the poison took effect. I don’t know! I’ll run some more tests.”</p><p>“Damn right you will! Run all the tests, I don’t care what it takes! And do it now!” </p><p>Leonard doesn’t flinch, as such, but it’s a close call. <em>You call yourself a doctor</em> echoes through his mind. Did Jim listen too closely to what Crater was saying, or … “Yes, <em>sir</em>,” he manages.</p><p>At least, his acid tone sobers Jim up. “I’m sorry, Bones. I know it’s not your fault. It’s just …”</p><p>“We lost a man.” Leonard nods. “I know. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”</p><p>“Call me the moment you find something. Anything.”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>Jim doesn’t run out of medlab, as such, but that also looks a close call.</p><p>Leonard turns around to Marina Hakim, his most senior medlab technician and sometimes pathologist. At least, Hakim has been with the Enterprise as long as he has. “You heard the Captain. Run <em>all</em> the tests.”</p><p>“Right away, Doctor.”</p><p>Leonard turns around to find Krejci standing next to him, holding out a cup of coffee. Huh.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>He takes the coffee and retreats to his station. It’s going to be a long day.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Dr McCoy?”</p><p>Leonard looks up at Hakim. </p><p>“Well? Did he have Borgia in his stomach?”</p><p>“No, sir. He didn’t swallow any. It’s only in his mouth and, uh, we found some in his throat. But that was done post-mortem.”</p><p>Someone shoved Borgia down his throat? Someone … But Leonard doesn’t want to think about that right now. First, he needs to find out what killed Darnell.</p><p>“So why is he dead?”</p><p>“Well, I’d say he had hyponatremia, but it’s not so much low sodium as … no sodium. At all. Not a single trace of sodium chloride in his entire body. I ran three blood samples to make sure. Same result. And … I mean, that would certainly kill someone, but how is that <em>possible</em>? Sir?”</p><p>“That’s a whole different question.” Along with the question of why Nancy lied … which means they’ll have to talk to Nancy again. And Crater.</p><p>Damnit. Leonard hits the intercom. “McCoy to Captain Kirk.”</p><p>“Kirk here.”</p><p>“We found something, Captain. Better come down to medbay.”</p><p>“Be right there, Doctor.”</p><p>Leonard gets to his feet. Hakim looks wary, like he’s about to hit someone with his padd.</p><p>“Good work, Technician,” he grumbles. Staff morale and all that.</p><p>Hakim relaxes. “Thank you, sir.”</p><p>At least, <em>someone</em> is having a good day around here.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“So, what happened to him?”</p><p>“What happened is all sodium cholride left his body. All of it.”</p><p>“Salt?” Jim frowns. “How is that possible?”</p><p>“No idea. But that’s what happened. Technician Hakim triple-checked. It might have something to do with those red rings on his face, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.”</p><p>“And he definitely didn’t eat the Borgia plant?”</p><p>Leonard looks at Hakim, who duly reports, “No, sir, he did not. There’s no trace of it in his stomach. He had some in his mouth and some shoved down his throat. Post-mortem.”</p><p>“I see. That means we have to talk to the Craters. She lied about the Borgia and they both mentioned they needed salt tablets, that can’t be a coincidence.” Jim looks up. “Hey, are you okay?” </p><p>“Been a bit of a day,” Leonard grumbles.</p><p>“Okay, well, I have to go talk to the Craters and you …” Jim’s gaze softens. “You go get some rest.”</p><p>“I have to —”</p><p>“No. You’re not going to that planet again.”</p><p>Part of Leonard is so relieved he could cry. Another part is absolutely horrified at what else Crater could tell Jim. </p><p>“Bones …” That’s Jim’s hand on his shoulder. “I need to know what killed Darnell. I’m not interested in anything else down there.”</p><p>“Alright,” Leonard whispers. It’s just a temporary reprieve, he knows, but … “Alright.” </p><p>“So,” Jim says, louder, “good job, everyone.” Jim nods at Hakim as well. “And you, Doctor, take yourself off duty already. That’s an order.”</p><p>“Yes, Captain.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He paces up and down in his quarters, going over the incidents of the past few hours. What the hell is happening on that planet? </p><p>But he keeps getting side-tracked by Crater’s triade, and the look in Jim’s eyes … </p><p>Damnit.</p><p>“McCoy to bridge. Any progress?”</p><p>“I thought I’d ordered you to get some rest, Doctor.” Jim sounds exasperated, but Leonard is relieved nonetheless. Jim, at least, is fine. </p><p>“Well, that’s too bad. What’s goin’ on?”</p><p>Jim hesitates a moment, then answers, “Professor Crater is dead, too. Same symptoms. Bones … ”</p><p>There’s that feeling of dread again. “What is it?”</p><p>“Just let me handle this. Kirk out.”</p><p>Leonard stares at the intercom in disbelief.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He’s still pacing when his door chimes. Jim. Finally. </p><p>“Enter.”</p><p>It’s not Jim. It’s Nancy. Huh.</p><p>“What are you doin’ here?”</p><p>Nancy all but throws himself into his arms. “Oh, Len! I’m so scared, there’s someone killing people on our planet!”</p><p>Leonard tries to push Nancy away gently, but the hold is surprisingly strong. Didn’t Jim say Professor Crater was dead, too?</p><p>“It’s so good to see you!” Nancy whispers. “You have such … interesting memories. I’ll need to keep you around.”</p><p>“Interestin’ … what? What do you mean?”</p><p>Nancy peers up at him, as if searching for something. “Oh, Len, you should rest now.”</p><p>“Now hang on a minute —”</p><p>He tries to push Nancy away again. For all he knew, it was Nancy killing people, what with the lie about the Borgia plant, and now this random musing about interesting memories, but somehow, he feels … tired. So very tired.</p><p>Just before his eyes fall shut, he could have sworn he hears Uhura’s voice on the intercom, <em>Dr McCoy to the bridge … </em></p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Len! Wake up! Please, you have to help me!”</p><p>Someone is shaking him awake.</p><p>He blinks up at … Nancy. </p><p>“They’re going to kill me! Len, you have to help me!”</p><p>“Who is —”</p><p>The door opens and in run Jim and Spock.</p><p>“It’s her, Bones,” Jim says. “Or rather, it <em>isn’t</em> her. It’s a shapeshifting creature that needs salt to stay alive.”</p><p>“Len!” Nancy screams. “You don’t believe that, surely?”</p><p>“Get away from him!” </p><p>Jim lunges at Nancy and a mad struggle ensues, and whatever it is fighting there with Jim, that’s definitely <em>not</em> Nancy, because even together, Jim and Spock are having a hard time getting the upper hand on … it.</p><p>Leonard swallows hard.</p><p>Jim’s phaser has dropped to the ground near the bed. </p><p>Almost in trance, Leonard gets to his feet and reaches for it. Damn, but he hates those things. He might have aced his mandatory basic phaser training, with grudging thanks to his gun-freak grandfather, but he’s a <em>doctor</em> and —</p><p>“Kill it, Doctor, quickly!” Spock shouts.</p><p>And Nancy — the creature — is about to do whatever it does to Jim.</p><p><em>Lord forgive me</em>, Leonard manages to think, for breaking his Oath, yet again. At this point, is anyone counting?</p><p>He shoots the creature, double-tap, in the head. His grandfather would be proud. For just about the first time ever. </p><p>The phaser clatters to the ground.</p><p>On the floor, dead, the creature changes from Nancy into … something green with scales and fur that Leonard barely notices.</p><p>He just killed someone. <em>Not</em> for the first time ever.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Bones.” Jim makes a start towards him, but Jim can’t ask about this, can’t know, and so Leonard turns and makes a dash for the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He makes it to the toilet before he’s throwing up, and apparently he hasn’t managed to eat much of anything recently, so he retches up bile and it <em>hurts</em>, but it’s only what he deserves.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jim comes to find him there, on the bathroom floor, legs drawn against his chest.</p><p>“Go away,” he says, without looking, or getting, up. </p><p>The bathroom is a great place. It has no windows.</p><p>“Really? Because I will leave, if that’s what you want. Tell me to leave again and I’ll leave right now.”</p><p>If Jim stays, Jim will ask about what the hell is going on and then Jim will hate him.</p><p>It’s only what he deserves. </p><p>“Bones?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I just wanted to check up on you.”</p><p>“Well, consider me checked-up. Visual confirmation of my patheticness.”</p><p>“Bones, stop. I don’t think that at all.”</p><p>“Then you need to have your head checked, too, because you must be an even bigger idiot that I’d thought.”</p><p>“Alright, I’ll make sure to schedule something with my CMO.”</p><p>Leonard glares. “Fine. If you’re that desperate to know, go ahead and ask. Ask me what I did.”</p><p>It’s been a fun five years. Especially the last one. Yeah, he’s ended on a real high note there. </p><p>Jim sits down next to him and threads a hand into his hair. Leonard tries to bend his head away, but he can’t get out of Jim’s reach.</p><p>“Do you want to tell me?” Jim asks.</p><p>Yes. No. Hell no. But most of all, he wants it to be over.</p><p>He exhales. </p><p>“I killed my father.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Now Jim will take the warm hand away, get up in disgust and throw him off the ship. Maybe on a shuttle. Maybe through an airlock. Then at least it’d be <em>over  </em>and —</p><p>“Okay,” Jim says.</p><p>Leonard’s brain short-circuits. “What do you mean, <em>okay</em>?” He half-slides, half-scrambles across the floor, trying to get away, but his back only hits the wall. “You can’t just <em>say</em> that, what the hell gives you the <em>right</em> to —”</p><p>“Bones, you remember that bit about no matter what you did? I meant it.”</p><p>“You can’t promise me that!”</p><p>“I just did.”</p><p>“How can you <em>do</em> that?”</p><p>Jim shuffles after him, sits in front of Leonard, their knees almost touching. “Because I <em>know</em> you, Bones. And because I trust you. I trust you had your reasons.”</p><p>Leonard doesn’t want to explain his reasons, and yet, he hears himself saying, “He, uhm … he got sick. Pyrrhoneuritis. Rare disease. Incurable, at the time. He lost about a third of his body weight in a week and even pumped full of every painkiller available and then some, he was in so much pain …” </p><p>Nothing for it now.</p><p>“He wanted me to take him off life support. I told him I’d find a cure if he’d just hold on a little bit longer … but he begged me. Begged me until I just … couldn’t take it anymore. So I turned off the machines.” </p><p>Jim doesn’t say a word. </p><p>Leonard moves in for the kill, “The cure was discovered a few weeks later.”</p><p>A small gasp from Jim, but still no words, so Leonard finds himself talking further, just to fill the silence, that unbearable ubiquitous silence, <em>why</em> are they in space, and … “I, I just couldn’t handle it. So I hit the bottle. A lot. The only reason Emory suspended me instead of outright fire me was because they felt sorry for me, and I just … <em>drank</em>, and Jocelyn, she … she couldn’t handle it, either. Couldn’t even look at me. Not that I blame her. I was a mess. So she left. Good for her. And as for me, well, drinkin’ myself to death didn’t really work out, so I figured if I had to stick around, I wasn’t gonna stay in the same place as all of that shit, so, I went Iowa, California, space, and so, here we are.”</p><p>“Bones …” Jim’s voice breaks. “Did you really want to die?”</p><p><em>That’s</em> all Jim heard?</p><p>But … “Nah,” Leonard huffs. “Not really. Too afraid of what I’ll find on the other side. If there <em>is</em> an other side.” He frowns, considering. He doesn’t <em>really</em> want to know, but … “Is there?”</p><p>“Hell, I have no idea. I don’t remember anything from between passing out, well, dying in that chamber and waking up at Starfleet Medical. Don’t think that means there’s nothing there, though. We’re just not supposed to know.”</p><p>“Well that figures.”</p><p>“Bones, your father, that wasn’t —”</p><p>“If you say it wasn’t my fault now, I swear to God, I will kill <em>you</em>.”</p><p>Jim looks at him, helpless and broken, welcome to the world of Leonard McCoy. It’s taken Jim long enough to arrive, and now Jim will —</p><p>“I love you,” is what Jim says.</p><p>“<em>What</em>?”</p><p>“Like I said. No matter what you do.” Jim inches closer. “I want to touch you now, is that okay?”</p><p>“You really need to get that head checked.”</p><p>“You’re one to talk.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” Leonard snaps. “Okay, you can touch me.”</p><p>Jim wraps around him, like a deflector shield, solid and warm and right there.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>They sit like that until the intercom summons them for debriefing.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Jim waits until Leonard has cleaned himself up enough to pass as something approximating a Starfleet officer.</p><p>No one bats an eye when they enter the briefing room together, but Leonard staggers on his feet anyway, until he feels Jim’s hand on the small of his back, guiding him safely into a chair. </p><p>Leonard grabs the padd Rand puts into his hands, holds onto it for dear life and pretends to listen to Spock’s monotone recounting of the events.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The debriefing must be over, because people are shuffling towards the door.</p><p>Leonard remains in his chair, because Jim is still there, seated at the top of the table, talking quietly to Spock, and Leonard doesn’t want to be where Jim isn’t.</p><p>“Dr McCoy?”</p><p>He blinks up at Chekov. “Yeah?”</p><p>Chekov leans closer and whispers, “The Captain didn’t say, but he was <em>amazing</em>. When the creature walked into the briefing room in your shape, within <em>seconds</em> the Captain was all <em>you are not Dr McCoy</em> and then he asked what the creature had done with you, sir, and he became <em>very</em> impolite.”</p><p>“That’s, uh … interestin’,” Leonard manages. The creature impersonated <em>him</em>? He must have dozed off during Spock’s report.</p><p>Chekov grins and saunters off. Strange kid, that one. But then, aren’t they all?</p><p>“Bones?”</p><p>He looks up at Jim. It’s just the two of them in the briefing room now. </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“You coming?”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He half-walks, half-stumbles after Jim, with no idea or interest in where on the ship they’re going, but it ends up being his quarters.</p><p>The door closes behind them. The body of the creature is gone, but the room feels small all of a sudden, and the air feels not just recycled but dead, but maybe Jim can provide some oxygen, so Leonard pins Jim against the door to find out.</p><p>“Bones,” Jim gasps between kisses.</p><p>It almost sounds like <em>stop</em>, so Leonard does. “What?”</p><p>“What do you need?”</p><p>His mind draws a complete and utter blank, because, how the hell should <em>he</em> know? He lets go of Jim’s wrists and takes a step back. He shrugs.</p><p>“Let me, then.” Jim reaches out and cups Leonard’s face with both hands. “Let me take you out of your head for a little while. Let me make this good for you. Yeah?”</p><p>Nothing happens, until Leonard realizes that Jim is waiting for a reply. He only manages, “Yeah.”</p><p>That must have been enough, because Jim crowds closer, chest to chest, a thigh between Leonard’s legs, careful but insistent, and if Jim thinks that Leonard deserves something good sometimes, then maybe he does.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It takes him a long time to come back to himself. He doesn’t want to, not really, but if being himself means <em>next to Jim</em>, then maybe it’s not so bad. </p><p>But being himself also means the past twenty-four hours happened and damn, he still has to write a mission report, and there was something else about that mission, something Chekov said, and he doesn’t think he should ask, but if talking is a thing they <em>do</em> now, then maybe he <em>can</em>, so he just does, “How did you know?”</p><p>“Hm?” Jim looks up from idly caressing Leonard’s hair.</p><p>“Chekov told me. When that creature was impersonatin’ me, he said you knew <em>immediately</em>.”</p><p>“Oh, that …” Jim smiles, just a small smile, private and wistful. “You know, the creature came in and sat down somewhere at the table, no complaining, no <em>damnit Jim what the hell are you doin’</em>, and, most importantly, it didn’t even <em>look</em> at me.”</p><p>Leonard opens his mouth with no idea where he’s going and what comes out is, “I love you, too.”</p><p>Jim stares at him and maybe it was a mistake, but then Jim smiles again, open and brilliant and <em>alive</em>, and there’s no mistake at all.</p><p> </p><p>###</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(In The Final Frontier, McCoy’s father is dying of an incurable and painful disease and begs McCoy to take him off life support, which McCoy does. The cure is then discovered.) </p><p>In the TOS episode, Kirk does not notice that it’s not McCoy when the creature impersonates him.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Enemy Within</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: The TOS episode features a fairly disturbing attempt by Kirk’s evil half to sexually assault his yeoman Janice Rand. This won’t feature here, but there will be some (potentially disturbing) consent issues.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Scott to medbay.”</p>
<p>Leonard hits the intercom with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Scotty’s on transporter duty right now. “McCoy here.”</p>
<p>“Just a wee heads up, Doc, Fisher took a bit of a tumble down on the planet, cut his hand and sprayed himself with some kind of magnetic ore, nothing serious, I’m sure, but I’ve put him through decontamination anyway and he’ll be along to medbay shortly.”</p>
<p>That doesn’t sound serious <em>at all</em>. </p>
<p>“What did that magnetic ore do?”</p>
<p>“Oh, calm down, Fisher’s alright. The transporter had a bit of a fright, but it seems to be working again. We’re running checks now to make sure.”</p>
<p>Those infernal machines … </p>
<p>“And one more thing, Doc, would you mind awfully notifying Records about this ore thingie? It’s just I’ve got to keep a close eye on the landing party, what with the dropping temperatures down on the planet and all.”</p>
<p>Leonard would, in fact, mind. </p>
<p>But if the transporter malfunctions again while they’re down there on a slowly freezing planet … </p>
<p>“Fine. I’ll get Records on it. Let me know if anything else happens to the transporter. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>He turns around to his on-duty staff. “Krejci, Brent, go over hypothermia protocols. Double-check all relevant equipment and supplies, and I mean <em>all</em> of it. Prepare some kits in case we need to send a shuttle down. Tracy, notify Records, they can liaise with Science on the ore samples.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” rings out around medbay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, how long will I be out, Doctor?”</p>
<p>Leonard glares up from patching up Fisher’s hand. “You wish.” </p>
<p>Fisher pales a little. </p>
<p>“Tracy, anything from Records yet?”</p>
<p>“Apologies, Doctor …” Tracy approaches, looking mortified. “The Records officer on duty, uh …”</p>
<p>“Out with it!”</p>
<p>“He said he was busy. Sir.”</p>
<p>Goddamn <em>Records</em>. </p>
<p>Leonard runs his thumb over Fisher’s newly healed palm. So far, so good. </p>
<p>“I’ll take care of Records. You do a full check-up on Fisher. Patch in medlab, too. I’m not taking any chances with this.”</p>
<p>“Right away, Doctor.” Tracy grabs a tricorder. Fisher pales more. Serves the clumsy idiot right for ruining the day.</p>
<p>Leonard stalks over to the intercom. “McCoy to Records.”</p>
<p>“This is Finney,” comes a grudging reply. </p>
<p>“Fisher got some kind of magnetic ore all over himself that messed up the transporter. We’re still runnin’ tests on Fisher, so you  —”</p>
<p>“No can do,” Finney interrupts, almost gleefully. “I’m <em>busy</em>. Besides, I don’t answer to you, McCoy. You don’t outrank me.”</p>
<p>Leonard doesn’t have <em>time</em> for this. “I outrank <em>everybody</em> when it’s a Medical issue! Get down to Science right now!”</p>
<p>“Or else what, you’ll run crying to your Captain?”</p>
<p>What the <em>hell</em>? </p>
<p>“Now listen to me very carefully, Finney. An unidentified substance has caused potentially fatal damage to the ship’s critical infrastructure. When I send my results over to Science in five minutes, you better be on it, because if you’re too busy for <em>that</em>, I’ll have you court-martialed for culpable negligence. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>He slams the intercom off so hard his hand hurts. <em>Goddamnit</em>. </p>
<p>“Doctor …”</p>
<p>“<em>What now</em>?”</p>
<p>Tracy almost doesn’t flinch. “Fisher’s test results all came back clear, sir. Medlab confirms it. He’s 4-0. Do you want me to double-check …?”</p>
<p>Leonard forces himself to breathe. “No, let’s send it over to Science and wait what they have to say on that ore first.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>He looks around medbay. “Krejci, where are you with those kits?”</p>
<p>“We’re all set for shuttle deployment, sir. And, uhm, if I may …” </p>
<p>“<em>What</em>.”</p>
<p>Krejci doesn’t flinch at all. “Lieutenant Commander Finney is due for his physical next week. I think it’s possible … he might find a few of his … more <em>advanced</em> vaccinations overdue.”</p>
<p>Well, what do you know. This medbay staff might be shaping up into something useful, after all.</p>
<p>“Good call, Krejci. It’s important to protect him from the hazards of deep space, say … a viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely, sir.” Somehow, Krejci manages to keep a straight face. “Quite essential for a Records officer.”</p>
<p>Alright. Leonard won’t go as far as laugh out loud, but he does grin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few minutes later, Jim saunters into medbay. “Hey, Bones, where are you hiding the bourbon?”</p>
<p>“Captain! Did you just come up via transporter? Mr Scott said there was an issue with it.”</p>
<p>“Hm? Oh, no, transporter’s working fine, no trouble at all.”</p>
<p>Leonard runs his tricorder over Jim anyway. The readings check out, but … there’s something <em>off</em>.</p>
<p>Not off in the sense of <em>there might be another shapeshifter aboard, twice in just under three weeks, only on the Enterprise</em>, no, this <em>is</em> Jim, Leonard is sure about that, just … <em>off</em>.</p>
<p>“Now, why don’t you find that bourbon and <em>come with me</em>?” Jim’s tone can only be described as suggestive. And perfectly audible around medbay.</p>
<p>“We’re <em>on duty</em>,” Leonard hisses. </p>
<p>“Is the Captain’s welfare not your <em>duty</em>, Doctor?” Jim winks at him.</p>
<p>His staff are staring at them in varying degrees of awkward disbelief. </p>
<p>“Alright, show’s over!” Leonard shouts at medbay in general. Everyone snaps to attention, even Fisher. Serves them right. “I’ll see the Captain to debriefin’. Tracy, stay on the ore. Krejci, if anyone’s dyin’ in here when I get back, I’m holdin’ you personally responsible.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“You know,” Jim whispers into his ear, “it’s <em>hot</em>, watching you in command.”</p>
<p>“Shut up before I sedate you into next week.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Damnit, Jim, what is it with you today?” Leonard asks as soon as they’ve reached the Captain’s quarters. “Are you sure nothing happened with the transporter?”</p>
<p>“Never felt better.” Jim leers at him.</p>
<p>A terrible thought creeps up on Leonard. Could this slightly more insane version of Jim be a delayed side-effect of Khan’s blood? </p>
<p>“Actually, we need to get you back to medbay. I have to run some tests.”</p>
<p>But if it <em>is</em> Khan’s blood, how would Leonard even <em>tell</em>? </p>
<p>“Uh-uh, I don’t think so.” </p>
<p>Jim reaches for his wrist and <em>pulls</em>, and before Leonard can do as much as blink, he finds himself pressed up against the wall, arm twisted behind his back. </p>
<p>“Ow! What the hell?”</p>
<p>“Ah, Bones, what’s with <em>you</em> today?” Jim breathes against his neck. “Since when do you mind when things get a bit rough?”</p>
<p>The grip on his wrist is hard enough to hurt.</p>
<p>“I mind when we’re on duty and there’s a potentially serious problem with the transporter that requires our attention!”</p>
<p>“Like I said, my welfare requires your attention. I can order you, even. I’m the Captain.”</p>
<p>Make that a <em>much</em> more insane version. </p>
<p>Leonard tries to pull away. </p>
<p>He can’t. </p>
<p>“Let go of me.”</p>
<p>Jim doesn’t.</p>
<p>With chilling clarity, Leonard realizes that if Jim doesn’t <em>want</em> to let him go, there is nothing he can do about it. He might have passed his mandatory hand-to-hand class at the Academy, but he’s no match for Jim in strength or agility or … anything, really. That has never bothered him before, why should it …</p>
<p>“Jim,” he whispers. “You’re hurtin’ me.”</p>
<p>“Aw, Bones, are you afraid?” Jim kisses his neck. He’s <em>not</em>. “Afraid of space, afraid of the transporter, you’re always so <em>afraid</em>. And, well, if you’re going to be like that, I can find plenty <em>other</em> people to have fun with, what do you think?”</p>
<p>Leonard tugs at his wrist again, to no avail. “I don’t care.”</p>
<p>“Aw, but cheating is a big deal to you, isn’t it, isn’t that what Jocelyn did when you were busy drowning your guilt in bourbon?”</p>
<p>“Alright.” Leonard exhales. “If you want to fuck your way through every willin’ person on the Enterprise, or if you maybe don’t want to ruin your command and put in for shore leave on Risa instead and fuck your way through <em>that</em>, if that’s what you need to, I don’t know, satisfy some urge or prove some point to yourself or to me or <em>whatever</em>, and if you really think you need <em>permission</em> from me, then fine, <em>go right the hell ahead</em>. I’ll be here when you’re done.”</p>
<p>The hold is released so suddenly he flinches. He turns around, away from the wall, massaging his wrist. Damn, it really does hurt. </p>
<p>Jim is staring at him, speechless.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what the hell you’re tryin’ to accomplish here, but let me tell you one thing.” Leonard takes another deep breath. “Jim … you <em>died</em>. Whatever else I might be afraid of, whatever else you could do, it doesn’t even <em>begin</em> to compare to <em>that</em>.”</p>
<p>Jim still doesn’t reply.</p>
<p>“I’m takin’ you off duty,” Leonard continues. His voice doesn’t tremble. Much. “Medical precaution. I don’t know what is happenin’ today, but I know <em>somethin’</em> is happenin’. Stay here in your quarters. Stay off the bourbon. Just … let me handle this. I’ll be back when I know more.”</p>
<p>He turns and stalks out without another glance at Jim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard goes to his quarters and runs a dermal regenerator on his wrist until he’s reasonably sure he won’t bruise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In medbay, no one is dying.</p>
<p>He decides to take that as a win.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard is just considering calling Science or, God forbid, <em>Finney</em>, for an update on the ore when Jim walks into medbay again, this time accompanied by Spock.</p>
<p>“Damnit, man,” Leonard hisses. “I told you to stay in your quarters.”</p>
<p>“Well, yes and no,” Jim says.</p>
<p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</p>
<p>“Doctor,” Spock intervenes. “The incident with the transporter has had further implications. Perhaps we should discuss this in more private surroundings? And bring a medkit.”</p>
<p>Leonard is going to strangle Spock. Or strangle <em>someone</em>. He forces himself to think instead. “The landing party?”</p>
<p>“We cannot risk using the transporter for the time being,” Spock says. “I suggest sending a shuttle.”</p>
<p>They both look at Jim, who … shrugs? “That sounds like a good idea.”</p>
<p>Alright. Never mind the nearly-bruised wrist, something is happening to Jim and it’s <em>bad</em>. </p>
<p>Landing party first, though. “Krejci,” Leonard calls into medbay. “Take those kits and report to shuttle bay. Tracy, Brent, I’ll be in a briefing about the transporter situation. Anyone seriously injured, call Dr M’Benga. If Records want something, call <em>me</em>.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“What’s the deal with Records?” Jim asks on their way out.</p>
<p>“Never mind.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Perhaps it would be best if we … showed you,” Spock says once they’ve reached the Captain’s quarters. “Computer. Play today’s security footage from the transporter room, starting at 1424.”</p>
<p>On the screen, Leonard watches as Jim appears and staggers off the transporter pad, helped by Scotty. And then, when the transporter room is empty, he watches as another Jim appears and stalks off.</p>
<p>“What the <em>hell</em>?”</p>
<p>“It appears we have two versions of the Captain aboard,” Spock says. “And two different ones, at that. This has gone unnoticed by the crew so far. Mr Scott first alerted me to the problem when they beamed up an animal from the planet and ended up with two, one perfectly docile and one violently aggressive. I reviewed the security footage and found … this.”</p>
<p>“Huh.”</p>
<p>Leonard notices that he’s rubbing his wrist, then he notices Jim noticing, and stops.</p>
<p>“So …” Jim hesitates. “This other version of me, the … violent version, you said you saw him, what did he want from you?”</p>
<p>Ah, hell. </p>
<p>“I took him to your quarters and told him to stay here. I had a feelin’ there was somethin’ off with him, just didn’t know what.”</p>
<p>“But what did he <em>do</em>?”</p>
<p>“Nothin’ much.” Nothing he cares to discuss in front of Spock. Or ever. “Wanted some bourbon. Which I didn’t give to him. So. What do we do now? Where is he?”</p>
<p>“We must assume he has Jim’s knowledge of the ship and how to avoid the cameras. We cannot order any search parties as this must be handled with the utmost discretion.”</p>
<p>“What does he <em>want</em>?”</p>
<p>“The Chair,” Jim says, quietly. “What else could he want?”</p>
<p>Leonard can think of a thing or two. He shudders. “But he’s not on the Bridge, right, you did check that?”</p>
<p>“We did,” Spock confirms. “He is not. He might be drawing on Jim’s knowledge of the ship’s inner workings and biding his time.”</p>
<p>Or finding someone to fuck … But then, for all the posturing, the other Jim had seemed reluctant about putting that particular idea into action.</p>
<p>“So he’s hidin’,” Leonard says. “Where? Can’t the computer locate him?”</p>
<p>“Inadvisable. The computer would be unable to tell the two entities called James Kirk apart, and thus the query might confuse the computer and risk further damage to the ship.”</p>
<p>Which, Leonard has to admit, is a good point. “Well, where would you hide, Jim?”</p>
<p>“Engineering,” Jim says without thinking.</p>
<p>“It is imperative that we go and locate him at once,” Spock says. “Meanwhile, Mr Scott is working on the transporter.”</p>
<p>Alright. Scotty can be trusted. But … “What about Finney? He can’t know what’s going on.”</p>
<p>“Mr Finney is looking into the ore, but possesses no further knowledge of the incident.”</p>
<p>Leonard exhales a breath he wasn’t aware he’s been holding. </p>
<p>“Doctor,” Spock continues, “perhaps it is best if you remain here. In case the other Captain comes back here. Besides, it might be necessary to keep him sedated.”</p>
<p>It’s a testament to the state of Leonard that he can’t think of a single snide reply to that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim and Spock take off.</p>
<p>Leonard sits down and stares at the intercom. </p>
<p>Where <em>is</em> that bourbon?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Alright. When Leonard imagined Jim tied up in bed before, this is <em>not</em> what he had in mind.</p>
<p>“We found him in Engineering,” the other Jim explains.</p>
<p>“Did you have to nearly kill him?” Leonard runs his tricorder over the unconscious Jim. Blood pressure way too low. “I’m serious, he’s dyin’.”</p>
<p>“We didn’t do anything!”</p>
<p>“Well, you’re lookin’ pretty pale yourself!”</p>
<p>“It appears,” Spock says, “that the two versions cannot survive independently of each other. We must find a way to reintegrate them into one person.”</p>
<p>“I don’t need <em>that</em>.” Jim points at the other one. “He’s, I mean, savage, that’s … do I really need him?”</p>
<p>“The fact that you are rapidly losing your power to make decisions, as well as Dr McCoy’s medical findings would indicate the answer to be yes. It appears this … savage side of you is necessary for you to be yourself, Captain.”</p>
<p>“But I can’t …” </p>
<p>Leonard squeezes Jim’s shoulder. Beneath his hand, Jim relaxes, if only marginally.</p>
<p>“Captain, if I may suggest —”</p>
<p>“Spock!” Leonard interrupts. “Why don’t you go check on Scotty’s progress with the transporter, eh? I got this.”</p>
<p>“Doctor —”</p>
<p>“I <em>got</em> this.”</p>
<p>Spock looks between him and Jim for an uncomfortable moment. “Very well, Doctor.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard sets up his tricorder to monitor the unconscious Jim’s vitals. They’re still declining for no reason whatsoever. He gets a hypo with cordrazine ready, just in case. And a sedative. Then he runs his hand through Jim’s hair, savage version or not, this is <em>Jim</em> and Jim can’t be dying on him, not <em>again</em>. </p>
<p>“Hang in there. It’s gonna be alright,” he whispers over his caress.</p>
<p>Somehow, the blood pressure stabilizes. For the time being, anyway.</p>
<p>“Get away from him, Bones, <em>please</em>.” </p>
<p>Leonard gets to his feet and faces the other Jim, who’s pacing.</p>
<p>“Bones … What did he … the other me … what did he do to you? Tell me. I need to know. You have to tell me <em>right now</em>.”</p>
<p>“Calm down. He wanted bourbon. And sex. I objected. He insisted. Some words were exchanged. That’s, uh … pretty much it.”</p>
<p>“What happened to your wrist?”</p>
<p>He’s rubbing it again. Damnit. “You got a pretty strong grip.”</p>
<p>Jim freezes. “Oh my <em>God</em>, Bones, I’m so sorry. I mean … can I apologize on his behalf? Can I apologize for that at all?”</p>
<p>“That is you, there, on the bed. A part of you, anyway.”</p>
<p>“How can you say that when he … when that <em>animal</em> attacked you? How can you stand to even still be in the same room as me?”</p>
<p>That’s … is that a good question? It is. Although this is the first time it has occurred to Leonard. That should probably worry him. It doesn’t. </p>
<p>“Let’s just say there was a certain element of truth to what he … what <em>you</em> said.” </p>
<p>“But Bones, I could never hurt you!”</p>
<p>“My God, man, <em>listen</em> to yourself! Like that, you’re not you either. Not fully.”</p>
<p>Jim just stares at him, wide-eyed and afraid and hell if it doesn’t break Leonard’s heart. </p>
<p>“Damnit, Jim, I need you.” He comes closer and kisses Jim, slowly, softly, and then not so softly at all. “But I need <em>all</em> of you.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Jim whispers between kisses. “Okay.”</p>
<p>“Captain, I believe we have found —” Spock stands there, in the door, eyebrow raised in question.</p>
<p>Well, damn. </p>
<p>“Spock,” Leonard grumbles, “if you make one of your logical observations now, I swear to God —”</p>
<p>“Guys,” comes Jim’s voice, too careful to be just Jim. </p>
<p>Leonard throws his hands up in frustration. “Alright, alright. What is it, Spock?”</p>
<p>“Doctor. Captain. I believe we have found a solution for the transporter. There is one small problem, however. Mr Scott tested it out on the duplicated animal, and, well … it is dead.”</p>
<p>“You call that a <em>solution</em>?”</p>
<p>“The animal simply could not comprehend what was happening to it. A humanoid being, however …” </p>
<p>Spock launches into a monologue about intelligence overcoming savagery and integrating dual natures.</p>
<p>Jim listens, nodding.</p>
<p>Not for the first time, Leonard considers the very real possibility that every single person aboard this ship has <em>lost their goddamn mind</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The other Jim, the supposedly evil one, cuts short any debate by waking up, thrashing in his restraints, clearly in pain, and shouting, “I want to live!”</p>
<p>“Damnit, we’ll be dealin’ with multi-system organ failure here soon.”</p>
<p>“Well then, I guess that settles it,” the supposedly good Jim says. “Can we knock him out again?”</p>
<p>Spock moves to the bed, but even with the restraints can’t keep a hold long enough for that infernal Vulcan nerve pinch thing. </p>
<p>But then Spock is thinking like a fighter or a friend, and Leonard <em>knows</em> this body. So he kneels on the bed and straddles Jim and presses his hand into that spot just above the hipbone. Jim almost moans. Nothing for it now. Leonard runs his hand up ribs and down collarbone and kisses Jim and somehow, despite everything, those lips open under his and <em>damn</em>. </p>
<p>With his free left hand, he angles the hypo towards the neck. Jim sinks back onto the bed, unconscious.</p>
<p>Spock recovers quickly. “An effective maneuver, Doctor. If not, perhaps, universally applicable.”</p>
<p>The other Jim doesn’t. “Holy shit, Bones. You really do scare me sometimes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They get Jim, both Jims, into the transporter room somehow. </p>
<p>Jim catches Leonard’s eye over Spock’s shoulder. “Bones …”</p>
<p>“Damnit, man, I don’t like this either, but we can’t afford to wait much longer.”</p>
<p>Jim exhales. “Energize.”</p>
<p>The two Jims disappear. Spock and Scotty are doing something to the controls that Leonard hasn’t bothered to try and understand. He just stares at the transporter pad. What if it <em>doesn’t</em> work? What if …</p>
<p>Jim reappears. Only one Jim. </p>
<p>“We did it!” comes that surprised shout that always indicates Scotty thought it was never in a million years going to work.</p>
<p>Jim manages a grin before staggering off the pad and collapsing into Leonard’s arms. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the corridor, they run into Finney of all people.</p>
<p>“Captain Kirk. Science have identified the type of ore —”</p>
<p>“Great work, Mr Finney! I look forward to your <em>comprehensive</em> report!”</p>
<p>Jim doesn’t look twice at Finney before dragging Leonard off in the general direction of the Captain’s quarters, but Leonard does, and from the way Finney stares at Jim, he doubts this will be the end of that particular story.</p>
<p>Not that it’s important, right now.</p>
<p>They’ve cheated space and death.</p>
<p>Again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know …” They’re back in the Captain’s quarters and finally having that bourbon. “It’s a bit of a shame we had to reintegrate you so soon. We missed the chance for a pretty spectacular threesome here, I feel robbed.”</p>
<p>Jim doesn’t laugh. In fact, Jim looks … hurt. “I guess one of me is going to have to be good enough for you.”</p>
<p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</p>
<p>Jim hesitates, then says, “I remember it now, what you … what we talked about. The evil me. I remember every word.”</p>
<p>Damnit. Leonard has been hoping to avoid that particular conversation. “Yeah, well, I meant every word.”</p>
<p>“When I said you scare me sometimes, I meant that, too.”</p>
<p><em>Ouch</em>. </p>
<p>“That feelin’ is mutual,” Leonard grumbles, because it is. “And what I meant back there was the same thing you told me the other day, yeah? No matter what. I’ll make you that promise, too.”</p>
<p>“But … you said you wouldn’t mind if I, how did you phrase it, fucked my way through Risa.”</p>
<p>Leonard shrugs. “No, I said, if that is what you need, then go ahead.” </p>
<p>He really does mean that, he realizes. Maybe he should scare himself. </p>
<p>“I <em>don’t</em> need that,” Jim whispers, so quietly Leonard almost doesn’t catch it. “I haven’t slept with anyone else since … well. And I don’t need to. I don’t even <em>want</em> to. I <em>promise</em> you I won’t —”</p>
<p>“No,” Leonard interrupts. “Don’t promise me that. Please.”</p>
<p>Jim’s eyes widen. “Do <em>you</em> want …”</p>
<p>“No. Goddamnit! I can’t believe you’re askin’ me this!” Although, given the way this conversation and this day has been going … “I don’t want anyone other than you. Haven’t in a long time.” Longer than he cares to admit. “But Jim, we’re in <em>space</em>. One day our lives might depend on you beddin’ some alien royalty or whatever, I don’t know! What I do know is that when all is said and done, no matter <em>what</em> it was, I will still be here.”</p>
<p>Jim gapes. “You really have the worst active imagination ever.”</p>
<p>Leonard can’t help but laugh, and finally, Jim joins in. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In the TOS episode, the landing party being trapped on the planet plays a much bigger role because in this early episode, shuttlecrafts didn’t yet exist. Finney doesn’t feature in this episode originally.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Miri</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one keeps fairly close to the source material. (There's a kind of plague going on.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’ve been planetside for less than five seconds and already Leonard wishes he could have sent someone else, but Jim decreed that a planetary distress call warrants the presence of the CMO. And the Chief Science Officer, the Captain’s personal yeoman, and the Chief Security Officer.</p>
<p>So here he is, with Jim, Spock, Rand, and Cupcake. </p>
<p>Here he is, exploring a stange new world. </p>
<p>Except, the distress signal they’re answering is an old-fashioned SOS and this planet is like Earth. <em>Exactly</em> like Earth. Only three hundred years ago. The buildings look like mid-20th century Earth.</p>
<p>1960s, Spock said. </p>
<p>The streets are filled with piles of debris. Most windows are smashed in. It looks like there has been a fire, long ago, and no one bothered to repair the damage.</p>
<p>Back on the Enterprise, Uhura said the distress call was automated. Chekov did pick up some life forms, maybe, readings inconclusive. </p>
<p>The buildings may look like mid-20th century, but this <em>feels</em> more like the early 21st century, complete with the tricorder picking up severe natural deterioration. </p>
<p>Leonard spots a broken tricycle on one of the debris piles and picks it up. It’s creaking in his hands from disuse, and the next thing he knows, something tackles him to the ground, shouting <em>mineminemine</em> in a vaguely humanoid voice. A vaguely humanoid shape, too, frail and strong at the same time, covered all over with blue marks that Leonard has never seen before.</p>
<p>Jim, with difficulty, wrestles the creature (the person?) off him. “Shh, it’s alright, we want to help you.”</p>
<p>“Liar! Fibber fibber fibber!”</p>
<p>“Definitely humanoid,” Spock observes.</p>
<p>“Clearly delusional.” Leonard gets to his feet and reaches for his tricorder. “Some kind of seizure, these readings are …” It collapses to the ground, lifeless. “It’s dead. It basically burned itself up. Aged about a century in a few minutes.”</p>
<p>From across the square, they can hear someone … something … come running.</p>
<p>“Seek cover,” Jim orders.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They hide behind the nearest door they can get to open. An old residential building. There are sounds coming from the cupboard because of course there are. </p>
<p>“We mean you no harm!” Jim calls out. “We’ve received a distress call from this planet, we’re here to help!”</p>
<p>It’s a girl, maybe a teenager, well-fed, no blue marks in sight, just scared. “Please don’t hurt me.”</p>
<p>Jim looks at Rand, who tries to reassure the girl, “We’re your friends, it’s alright, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>The girl does not look reassured, but at least the crying stops.</p>
<p>What the <em>hell</em> is wrong with this planet?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girl explains it to Jim. The landing party are <em>Grups</em> (grown-ups) who don’t know the <em>foolie</em> (game) and the only ones left alive on this planet are the <em>Onlies</em> (children) because all the Grups got sick and died (some kind of plague) after a lot of awful things — <em>yelling, hurting, burning</em>, the girl explains.</p>
<p>Jim compliments the girl (Miri) on her <em>very</em> pretty name and Leonard hopes to <em>God</em> that <em>yelling, hurting, burning</em> was the worst of it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There’s a blue mark on his hand much like the one on the rapidly-aged person that attacked them and died.</p>
<p>Miri spots a mark on Jim, too, and starts to scream.</p>
<p>That must be the plague that killed all adults on this planet. They’re adults, too. So they’re going to die. </p>
<p>Again.</p>
<p>Leonard should probably be freaking out, but finds that he can’t afford to. This is some kind of plague, it’s a medical issue. It’s up to him to fix this.</p>
<p>“There’s got to be a hospital around here somewhere,” he says. “A lab, maybe?”</p>
<p>Jim goes on the charm offensive to get a location out of Miri and Leonard would be amused if this weren’t a teenager. </p>
<p>But Miri does lead them to a laboratory.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard has medbay beam down a biocomputer and a microscope. </p>
<p>M’Benga, Krejci, Tracy and what sounds like everybody else on his staff talk over one another like they could skip the transporter room and fly right down via the frequency to help.</p>
<p>Leonard orders that <em>under no circumstances</em> is anyone else to be exposed to this disease. </p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” echoes down from the Enterprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rand and Cupcake have blue marks, too. That’s all of the landing party now, except Spock, because apparently, space plagues don’t like Vulcans.</p>
<p>Miri just sits at a table to the far end of the laboratory, staring at Jim.</p>
<p>“If all the grown-ups are dead, and the children are not, it would follow that the disease is contracted upon entering puberty.” Spock looks at Leonard. “A time when certain glandular changes in the human anatomy take place.”</p>
<p>He doesn’t even have time to hate the fact that Spock had this idea, not him. He just turns to his biocomputer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim is rifling through the records left behind by the dead. “Check this out. Life Prolongation Project. Didn’t work out so well for them.”</p>
<p>Damn humans and their damn hybris.</p>
<p>Although Leonard is not exactly in a position to judge. </p>
<p>“Captain,” Rand says, “if it’s true that all the adults are dead, how are these children even alive? Who’s taking care of them? The little ones?”</p>
<p>“Good point,” Jim says. “Let’s see if we can’t find more of them, to find out how they live. Hey, Miri?”</p>
<p>Jim takes Miri and Cupcake and Rand off to investigate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Forgive me, Doctor, but there is an issue I must address,” Spock says, à propos of nothing. “Up front, I want you to know that I am speaking merely from a position as the Enterprise’s first officer, and have no wish to pry into your personal life …”</p>
<p>Leonard can feel the onset of a horrendous headache. It’s that disease. Probably. “Just spit it out, Commander.”</p>
<p>“I am aware that an intimate relationship between senior officers is not, strictly speaking, against Starfleet Regulations, at least, not anymore, but given the potentially lethal circumstances we find ourselves in, it is of some concern to me that the Captain’s future decisions may be influenced —”</p>
<p>“You <em>goddamn</em> hypocrite!” </p>
<p>“If you are referring to Lieutenant Uhura, I can assure you that as a Vulcan, I am perfectly capable of —”</p>
<p>“I couldn’t care less about <em>your</em> personal life!” Leonard leans back from the microscope before the urge to shove it down Spock’s throat becomes too strong. That’s <em>not</em> the disease. “Did you forget that one time Jim broke the Prime Directive to haul your ass out of an active volcano? And as far as I know, he’s not fuckin’ you. That’s just who Jim <em>is</em>. What we do or don’t do in his quarters when we’re off duty doesn’t change a single thing about anythin’!”</p>
<p>It’s not a lie, as such. Jim has done unreasonable things to save Leonard’s life before all this, like not giving the order to beam Carol Marcus back when his arm was stuck in that torpedo, and there’s a whole uncomfortable discussion about <em>duty</em> that they probably should have had a long time ago, but Leonard is not having it with <em>Spock</em>.</p>
<p>“A curious turn of phrase, Doctor,” Spock is saying. “As far as you know?”</p>
<p>“You —” Leonard falters. He is too tense to untangle Vulcan mind games. “Like I said, I couldn’t care less about your personal life. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Commander, I need to get on with <em>savin’</em> all of our lives.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim returns with Rand and Cupcake and Miri.</p>
<p>“We can hear the kids, playing their games, taunting us, but we can’t see them.” Jim shudders. “Any news here, Doctor?”</p>
<p>Leonard shakes his head. “No, Captain. I need more people goin’ through these files.” He points. “If we can figure out how they were tryin’ to prolong life, maybe there’s a hint about what they actually achieved.”</p>
<p>Jim nods and starts allocating files to Spock, Rand and Cupcake. </p>
<p>Miri is ordered to clean up some desk, kept busy and distracted, but around.</p>
<p>Leonard turns back to his microscope.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spock looks up from a file. “Captain, based on these records, I surmise that the goal of the project was to age only one month for every one hundred years. However … these experiments took place three hundred years ago.”</p>
<p>“But there are children around,” Rand points out. “Little children, even. We heard them. How can there be children in the streets after three hundred years?”</p>
<p>“Maybe it worked.” Everyone turns around to stare at Cupcake, who shrugs. “Part of it, anyway. Maybe the kids have only aged for three months in the past three hundred years. Maybe they’ve been alive all this time and will be alive until they hit puberty.”</p>
<p>“Eternal childhood?” Rand looks like that’s a lovely prospect, but the thought makes Leonard queasy.</p>
<p>“Do you think she knows?” Cupcake nods towards the back of the room, where Miri is sharpening pencils, because they’re in the 20th century and they need pencils, all of the pencils. “That she’ll die when she hits puberty?”</p>
<p>“I don’t think so.” Jim looks uneasy, too. </p>
<p>“There is more, Captain,” Spock says. “If my calculations are correct, we have seven days left before the disease will prove fatal.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bones … you should get some rest.”</p>
<p>It’s dark outside. He hasn’t noticed.</p>
<p>“I can’t rest.”</p>
<p>Jim moves to stand behind him, puts two hands on his shoulders and ouch, that hurts. “It’s late. You need to sleep.”</p>
<p>“I’m tryin’ to save your life here, <em>sir</em>!”</p>
<p>“We have six more days.” Jim moves closer, encircles Leonard’s upper body. It’s warm, too warm, they’re both burning up with that disease and —</p>
<p>“Six days is not enough time as it is, I can’t just go off and sleep —”</p>
<p>“Bones …” Jim presses a soft kiss at the base of his throat. Leonard shudders. They should <em>not</em> be doing this while they’re on duty, he has to — “You’re no use to anyone if you try to stay awake for days on end. I need you to rest.”</p>
<p>“But …” He slumps back against Jim’s chest, like body tension has become another casualty of this goddamn disease. </p>
<p>“I need you,” Jim breathes. “Please, I <em>need</em> you.”</p>
<p>Leonard gives up. He lets himself be dragged to his feet and over to some makeshift cots across the room. Rand and Cupcake are already asleep. Miri, too. Spock, standing guard, nods at them, but Leonard is too damn exhausted to care about any of that, he just collapses onto a cot and passes out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He gets up when Jim wakes him and eats what Jim puts in front of him and then he goes right back to his biocomputer.</p>
<p>He won’t admit it, but he does feel better for having rested. Marginally.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve got … somethin’. A start,” Leonard says, cautiously.</p>
<p>“Rand, take Miri for a walk,” Jim orders.</p>
<p>When the two have left, Leonard explains the series of diseases they used for a sort of chain reaction to extend the life of the human cells. </p>
<p>“So now all we have left to do is isolate the virus and develop a vaccine,” he concludes.</p>
<p>That’s all. </p>
<p>He’s already having trouble focusing again. The headache is getting worse, too, and either the temperature has risen dramatically or he’s running a fever. </p>
<p>And running out of time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Outside, the children go <em>nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah</em> and it’s a testament to that plague and how far <em>gone</em> they are because they all run out to look for the children and when they come back, the children have stolen the communicators.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without the ability to contact the Enterprise for help, Leonard’s world narrows down even further to his biocomputer, his microscope, the samples Rand hands him, the ideas Spock bounces off him and, above all, Jim’s voice keeping them together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next morning, he wakes curled up against Jim.</p>
<p>He’s not sure how that happened, but he knows that it hasn’t happened since they left Earth. </p>
<p>They’re on <em>duty</em> and this is unprofessional, but his head hurts and they’re dying, so Leonard allows himself another couple of moments of soaking in <em>Jim</em>. </p>
<p>When he finally drags himself upright, he notices that Miri is gone, probably left in a fit of teenage jealousy or … something. Not that it makes much difference, anymore. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I got it.” Leonard stares at the biocomputer in disbelief.</p>
<p>“But what is the dosage?” Spock asks.</p>
<p>“I’d need medlab to run tests.” The wrong dosage would be just as fatal as that disease.</p>
<p>“We’re all going to die!” Cupcake shouts.</p>
<p>“Shut up!” Rand shouts back, with impressive disregard of rank and protocol. </p>
<p>Leonard would applaud, if he didn’t feel like it his head was being split in half. </p>
<p>“Jim,” he says, “we need those communicators.”</p>
<p>“Can’t you just —” Jim snaps, then stops.</p>
<p>It’s that disease. Soon, none of them will be able to make rational decisions anymore. Well, except Spock. </p>
<p>“Hendorff, Rand, pull yourselves together, we’re going to find those communicators,” Jim orders and it takes Leonard until after they’ve left to remember that Hendorff is Cupcake’s name.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard’s finger hovers over the dosage adjustor on the hypospray. </p>
<p>The vaccine, or, if the Enterprise can’t compute the correct dosage, as Spock put it, <em>a beaker full of death</em>.</p>
<p>How poetic.</p>
<p>But Spock left, a minute or an hour or a day ago, to check with the progress of … something, like Jim left to take care of … the communicators … which they need to … to …</p>
<p>Goddamnit.</p>
<p>Jim is going to die, again, if Leonard can’t get this to work, and he can’t get it to work just sitting here, and there’s no help coming, so Leonard decides <em>fuck this</em> and injects himself with the hypo.</p>
<p>His brain barely has time to register that it <em>hurts</em> before he blacks out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He comes around with his head on Jim’s lap and Jim’s hand in his hair.</p>
<p>“Damnit, Bones. I should have you written up for dangerous conduct. You mad bastard. You <em>scared</em> me.”</p>
<p>There’s no trace of a blue mark anywhere that Leonard can see on either of their bodies. </p>
<p>He clears his scratchy throat. “The others?”</p>
<p>“They’re fine. Gone off to help organize with Starfleet Disaster Relief. Miri, too. She helped us convince the other Onlies about the disease.”</p>
<p>“Communicator?” </p>
<p>Jim stops him from getting up by holding one to his mouth. Alright.</p>
<p>“McCoy to medbay.”</p>
<p>“M’Benga here. Are you alright, sir?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m fine. What about the dosage? I tried 5 ccs. There’s … room for improvement.”</p>
<p>“4 ccs. Virtually painfree.”</p>
<p>They made it work. They really did. Leonard exhales. “Good job, y’all. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>Above him, Jim is smiling. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spock has been making arrangements to vaccinate everyone they can find. Rand and Cupcake have been making arrangements for the kids (the 300-year-olds) to coordinate with the Starfleet Disaster Relief team that will be here within the week to help this planet grow up and heal. </p>
<p>Miri bids Jim a tearful farewell that’s every bit as awkward as it sounds and they’re getting ready to leave the 1960s behind forever.</p>
<p>And yet …</p>
<p>“Jim …” Leonard points at the laboratory building. “There’s one more thing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They carry crates full of files out into the empty square, they pile yet more loose paper on top of that, they look into every nook and cranny of that office until each and every record pertaining to life prolongation is on that pyre.</p>
<p>Jim puts a hand on Leonard’s shoulder and together, they stand and watch until every last scrap of paper has turned into ash.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“4-0, sir,” Tracy tells him with a relieved smile during his protocol-mandated check-up in medbay. “You’re a miracle worker.”</p>
<p>“Nah,” Leonard grumbles. “Just a doctor.”</p>
<p>“And besides,” M’Benga tells Tracy, “you forgot to mention the bit where he is actually insane.”</p>
<p>He decides to let that one slide. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They’re in the Captain’s quarters, because that’s where they usually end up, after debriefing, when they’re finally off duty. </p>
<p>“I should go, though,” Leonard says, instead of sitting down. “I just want to sleep.”</p>
<p>Jim frowns. “You’re welcome to <em>just sleep</em> in my bed anytime. In fact, I would like that. I mean, that planet down there was hell, but waking up next to you these past couple of days, that was … good.”</p>
<p>Oh, so they <em>are</em> having that conversation. </p>
<p>“I think the word you’re lookin’ for is <em>unprofessional</em>. It was an away mission, so we were technically on duty the whole time. And dyin’ of a terrible space plague, so we can’t be held entirely responsible for our actions, but still. Unprofessional.”</p>
<p>“Oh, come on, Bones! It’s not like we were having sex in front of the crew. I get what you’re saying about when we’re on duty, but —”</p>
<p>Leonard heaves a sigh. His shoulders still ache from sitting hunched over the microscope for days. “When we’re on duty, we’re Captain and CMO of this goddamn ship and people’s <em>lives</em> depend on our professionalism!”</p>
<p>“I <em>know</em> that. But we’re not on duty right now. We’re not on duty until alpha shift starts tomorrow at 0800. There’s nothing to stop you from sleeping here.”</p>
<p>All Leonard wants is just say yes. And yet … “Professional conduct on duty notwithstandin’, it’s gonna raise eyebrows all over the place, especially if it involves the Captain.”</p>
<p>“<em>Professional conduct notwithstandin’</em>, we haven’t exactly been hiding this, have we? No one on this ship will even do as much as raise an eyebrow if they spot you leaving my quarters at 0730. Or any other time, really. And even if they do, so what? I don’t give a damn about raised eyebrows. I just <em>want</em> to fall asleep and wake up next to you. And if you <em>don’t</em> want that, that’s <em>fine</em>, it really is, just —” Jim exhales. “No, actually, you know what, never mind.”</p>
<p>Jim looks tired. So tired. Why are they even <em>arguing</em>? </p>
<p>“I shouldn’t have …” Jim exhales. “I mean, you just saved my life. Again. You saved <em>everyone’s</em> life. Everyone on that whole entire planet! I don’t think I’ve even said thank you yet.”</p>
<p>“No need,” Leonard grumbles. </p>
<p>Of course he saved Jim’s life. What else is the point of him? </p>
<p>Jim comes closer, slowly, giving him every chance to open the door behind him and flee, and still, before touching him, Jim asks, “Can I?”</p>
<p>Leonard doesn’t trust his voice, so he nods.</p>
<p>Jim reaches out and runs fingers down Leonard’s cheek and throat and aching shoulders, then draws him close. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Jim whispers in his ear.</p>
<p>Leonard isn’t going anywhere. He can’t.</p>
<p>“Let me,” Jim whispers. “It’s okay. Let me take care of you now, yeah?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.” He doesn’t know what he wants or what he should be asking for, but he trusts Jim will give it to him anyway. “Yeah, okay.”</p>
<p>Jim smiles and kisses him, soft and slow, stops just long enough to get the blue uniform off, then guides him to lay down on the bed.</p>
<p>Leonard falls asleep with Jim’s hands massaging his shoulders.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>McCoy’s dislike of being called a miracle worker is from the Star Trek Ongoing comics (#5), which I don’t consider canon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Naked Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: (canonical) minor character suicide, mentions of Tarsus IV, arguably an episode of PTSD (also in a minor character), some medical stuff.</p>
<p>This one got away from me slightly in terms of word count ...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leonard is on the bridge at 0758, slightly early for alpha briefing. He stands in what he thinks of as his usual spot, watching the change, from gamma to alpha, from night to day. People he knows only by medical records are getting to their feet, turning over their stations to people like Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Spock. Scotty is there, too, padd clutched in one hand, cup of tea in the other. </p>
<p>The door of the turbolift opens at 0800 sharp. </p>
<p>“Captain on the bridge!” Chekov’s voice rings out.</p>
<p>Leonard would not have needed the announcement, no one would have, the atmosphere shifted the moment those doors opened, and everyone has sat up straighter. </p>
<p>Something coils deep inside Leonard as he watches Jim saunter across the bridge and sit down in the Captain’s chair, something like want and <em>need</em> and, beneath that, as ever, he’s just a little bit afraid. </p>
<p>“As you were,” Jim orders.</p>
<p>A quiet and controlled flurry of motion sends everyone back to the tasks at hand. </p>
<p>Leonard thinks about what he can report from medbay. They’re finally on schedule with the physicals. Ahead of schedule, even. Medbay is running on something approximating a <em>routine</em>. And it only took four months. </p>
<p>The door swishes open again.</p>
<p>“Mr Finney!” Jim says. “How kind of you to join us. Let’s get started, shall we?”</p>
<p>“Captain.” Something about the way Finney says that makes Leonard shudder. Damn that Records idiot. “As per orders from Starfleet Command, we are on course to Psi 2000. Estimated arrival time …?”</p>
<p>Chekov has been on duty for all of two seconds, yet doesn’t even miss a beat. “Estimated arrival at Psi 2000 is one hour, four minutes and seventeen seconds, sir!”</p>
<p>Finney scowls. “It’s a class P planet. It used to be class M, before various environmental disasters turned it into a frozen wasteland.”</p>
<p>Charming.</p>
<p>“The planet is due to disintegrate within one solar week. A team from Starfleet Science has been investigating these disasters. Our mission is to pick them up and assist with the documentation of the planet’s demise. However, the team has missed the last check-in. The nearest starbase reports no reply on subspace.”</p>
<p>“So we have to assume something’s happened to them,” Jim says.</p>
<p>They’re all dead. </p>
<p>Leonard hates space.</p>
<p>“What about this planet disintegration business?” Cupcake asks. “One week must be an estimate.”</p>
<p>“Aye,” Scotty puts in, “what if that’s too generous?”</p>
<p>“Captain,” Spock says, “I suggest Science take the lead in this mission. If there are undocumented environmental disasters, additional precautions must be taken.”</p>
<p>“Indeed, all of Science should prepare for a code blue. Including Medical.” Finney sneers at Leonard.</p>
<p>Code blue means an environmental or some other lovely <em>hazard</em>. </p>
<p>“Can’t wait,” Leonard grumbles. </p>
<p>He’s run code blue safety drills with every single department in the lead-up to the five year mission. But that was in a dock above Earth, not in deep space.</p>
<p>“Fantastic,” Jim interrupts Leonard’s brooding. “Mr Spock, outfit a Science assessment landing party. Dr McCoy, get medbay and medlab set up for the potential code blue. Mr Scott, same for the transporter room. Mr Hendorff, brief security. We’ll monitor from up here. Alpha briefing dismissed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard briefs medbay and medlab, has Krejci cancel all of today’s physicals, and orders a review of code blue safety protocols, just in case. </p>
<p>There’s a question of whether he should insist on sending someone from Medical down with the landing party, but Spock seemed confident Science could handle the assessment. Let them have at it, then. If, as Leonard fears, they only find corpses, medlab will be on the job soon enough. </p>
<p>So he takes the coffee Krejci hands him and sits down at his station.</p>
<p>Now for his favorite part of the job: waiting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Kirk to medbay.”</p>
<p>It’s a code blue. He can tell from that subdued waver in Jim’s voice. </p>
<p>“McCoy here, Captain.”</p>
<p>“Update from the planet’s surface, Doctor. The landing party found the station personnel frozen to death. Apparently, the life support system was switched off and one of them was strangled. The hazmat suits of the landing party are in the process of being decontaminated, they’ll on their way to medbay for a check-up shortly.”</p>
<p>“Copy that. How many station personnel for the autopsy?”</p>
<p>“We found six. Needless to say, this is a code blue now. I’ll meet you in medbay. Kirk out.”</p>
<p>The intercom chirps once and then it’s Uhura announcing, “Attention all decks, we have a contained code blue in Medical and the transporter room. I repeat, contained code blue in Medical and the transporter room.”</p>
<p>Blue lights come on. At least, they’re not flashing, and there’s no infernal siren. Not yet.</p>
<p>Leonard flicks a switch on the intercom. “McCoy to medlab.”</p>
<p>“Hakim here, Doctor.”</p>
<p>“Code blue. I need autopsies of six station personnel. The life support was switched off. Coordinate with the transporter room immediately. I repeat, it’s a code blue. Initiate full safety protocol.”</p>
<p>“Code blue acknowledged, sir.”</p>
<p>“Go to blue alert the <em>second</em> you think somethin’ is wrong. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>At least, they’ll find out whether those countless drills did their job. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The landing party turns out to be Spock and a Science specialist whose medical records Leonard remembers as bearing the name Joe Tormolen. No problems there according to Starfleet Medical, not even an allergy. </p>
<p>“This is quite unnecessary, Doctor,” Spock says. “We were in hazmat suits throughout. I am perfectly fine.”</p>
<p>“You’re fine when I <em>say</em> you’re fine! Brent, standard check-up on Commander Spock. Tracy, take Specialist Tormolen.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” </p>
<p>Leonard stands back to supervise. </p>
<p>Tracy checks the tricorder. “Readings 4-0, Doctor. I’ll run standard tests right away.”</p>
<p>“Uh, I’m sorry, Dr McCoy?” Brent asks. “My tricorder says the Commander has barely any blood pressure and the pulse is over 200?”</p>
<p>Spock starts as if to protest, but Leonard’s exasperation is faster, “My God, man, you’re a medical technician, not a loudspeaker! For a Vulcan, those readings are …?”</p>
<p>Brent thinks hard for a moment, then brightens up. “For a Vulcan, those readings are within normal parameters! Sir.”</p>
<p>“Now get on with the tests!”</p>
<p>Brent scurries off. Spock raises an eyebrow. Not for the first time, Leonard considers lodging a complaint at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy about the utter uselessness of the <em>Comparative Alien Physiology</em> class for all practical purposes.</p>
<p>Tracy hands him a padd. “Physically, he’s fine, Doctor.” The padd confirms it, although Leonard notes the emphasis on <em>physically</em>. “You’re okay, Joey.”</p>
<p>Tormolen looks relieved. Spock looks like Spock.</p>
<p>The door swishes open and Jim walks in. “How are they?”</p>
<p>“Brent!” Leonard snaps. “Test results, stat!”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir, here you are, sir.” Brent hands him the padd.</p>
<p>Leonard skims over the results. “Alright, Spock. You <em>are</em> fine. Medically speakin’. They’re both fine, Captain.”</p>
<p>Spock arches a smug eyebrow. “As I was —”</p>
<p>“How was it down there?” Jim intervenes before Spock can express any more dissatisfaction with standard medical procedure or before Leonard can rip Spock’s head off. </p>
<p>“Terrible,” Tormolen puts in. “It was <em>terrible</em>, Captain, six people, and they were just … dead. Makes you wonder, really.”</p>
<p>Jim exchanges a look with both Leonard and Spock. “Do we know why they are dead yet?”</p>
<p>“I’ll check in.” Leonard walks over to the intercom. “McCoy to medlab. Report.”</p>
<p>“Hakim here, Doctor. We’ve initiated the code blue safety protocol and we’re working on the six bodies. Nothing substantial to report as of yet.”</p>
<p>“I’m sendin’ you beta shift as support. I want somethin’ substantial before we lose the planet it happened on.” He flicks a switch. “McCoy to Huang and Pinto. Code blue. Report to medlab, on the double.”</p>
<p>When he turns around, Jim and Spock are already deep in conversation about what could have happened on the planet, on their way to the door. Tormolen is looking at Tracy, then at him, unsure. </p>
<p>“Get some rest, Specialist,” he tells Tormolen.</p>
<p>“Yes, Doctor.”</p>
<p>Tormolen all but runs for the door. Tracy makes a step towards the door, too, then stops.</p>
<p>Leonard arches an eyebrow. “There a problem, Technician?”</p>
<p>“No, sir.” Tracy’s shoulders sag. “It’s just … I know Joey from basic training.”</p>
<p>The pitch indicates it’s not <em>know</em> as in, <em>had a fling with</em>, but <em>know</em> as in, <em>there’s trouble</em>.</p>
<p>“And …?”</p>
<p>“Well, when he said that those six dead people make him wonder, it just reminded me that he had … some concerns, going into space. Sir.”</p>
<p>“As in aviophobia?”</p>
<p>“No, it’s more general, but … I shouldn’t diagnose by distance, Doctor.”</p>
<p>But there <em>should</em> be a diagnosis. That post of psychologist is still vacant. Damn staff shortages.</p>
<p>In the meantime, he asks, “If I recall correctly, you’ve taken some psych classes?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Well, now that we’re four months into our five years, it’s about time we start thinkin’ about long-term research projects down here. Anythin’ particular you might have in mind?”</p>
<p>Tracy flinches in a way that can only mean yes. “Uhm … there was a study Starfleet Psych let us work on about the psychological impact of long-range missions, but … that kind of stalled when Dr Dehner died.”</p>
<p>Ouch. Leonard clears his throat. “Well, I can always talk Psych into handin’ over what they’ve got and we could see about un-stallin’ it?”</p>
<p>That takes Tracy by surprise. “That would be amazing, thank you, sir.”</p>
<p>“It’s a good subject.” It is. The thought of being stuck in the void for five years sure as hell drives him insane. He can’t be the only one. Besides, he’d hate for Elizabeth’s work to go to waste. “I’ll get on subspace once we’ve handled the code blue. Now, for Tormolen, do you have some concerns? Off the record?”</p>
<p>Tracy swallows hard. “Off the record, I think he was … unstable. But Psych cleared him for duty, so maybe he’s better now. I haven’t seen him much recently.”</p>
<p>“Noted. Off the record.” He should look into that. But right now, he needs to focus on the code blue. “Let’s see where medlab are on those autopsies.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There’s nothing here, Doctor,” Hakim reports over intercom. “I mean, one was strangled and the rest froze to death, yes. I can confirm that. One of them in the shower, fully clothed. But there’s absolutely nothing else.”</p>
<p>“Keep lookin’. Anything you can think of, even the totally absurd. <em>Especially</em> that,” Leonard instructs. “I’ll be —”</p>
<p>The intercom whistles.</p>
<p>“Riley to medbay. Medical emergency in rec room 3!”</p>
<p>That just makes Leonard’s day complete.</p>
<p>“Stand by, medlab. McCoy here. What happened?”</p>
<p>“It’s Tormolen, Doctor, he … he had a knife and said he’d kill himself! We tried to take it from him, but he fell …”</p>
<p>God<em>damn</em>it. </p>
<p>“Where is he hurt?”</p>
<p>“Stomach, I think? He’s bleeding!”</p>
<p>“Keep pressure on it, I’ll be right there. McCoy out.” He looks around at medbay. “Burke, grab the trauma kit, you’re with me. Brent, prep OR 1. And no,” he talks over</p>
<p>Tracy’s opening mouth, “you’re stayin’ on the code blue with medlab, and you know why. Krejci, call in beta shift. You have medbay until M’Benga gets here. Move!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He tries not to think about how long it’s been since he last operated on anything other than a training sim. </p>
<p>The damage is, surprisingly, easy to fix. Must have been a dull knife. Thank God for small mercies.</p>
<p>“Alright then, that’s the last of the bleedin’, and we’re done here.”</p>
<p>“Uh …” Brent points at the monitor. “Doctor, vitals are dropping.”</p>
<p>What the <em>hell</em> …?</p>
<p>The vitals aren’t so much dropping as <em>plummeting</em>. </p>
<p>“15 ccs of tri-ox, stat!”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Tormolen is going into cardiac arrest. For absolutely no reason. </p>
<p>“Cordrazine, 2 ccs.”</p>
<p>Brent hesitates. Cordrazine is tricky stuff, alright, but it’s also just about the only chance Tormolen has left.</p>
<p>“Now!”</p>
<p>Tormolen flatlines.</p>
<p>“10 ccs.”</p>
<p>“Doctor —”</p>
<p>“It ain’t gonna make him any more dead!”</p>
<p>But it’s also not making Tormolen more alive, either. </p>
<p>It’s almost like … that body has just decided it did not want to live anymore, and so it … died. </p>
<p>And there’s not a thing Leonard can do about it.</p>
<p>“Damnit!”</p>
<p>He resists the urge to throw the nearest tricorder against the wall, but only just. Shouting in the OR is bad enough. Maggie, his resident back at Emory, would have a field day. Both for the shouting and for the fact that a man with non-lethal injuries is lying dead on his table.</p>
<p>Brent is just staring at him. </p>
<p>Leonard unclenches his fists, and checks for pulse and reflexes, as mandated by protocol, before he speaks his least favorite words in the whole damn galaxy, “Computer. Log the time of death of Specialist Joe Tormolen, Stardate 2260.255, 1434 hours, signed Dr Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer, USS Enterprise.”</p>
<p>“Confirmed.”</p>
<p>He exhales. </p>
<p>“Uh … sir?” Brent asks. “I’m sorry, but I … don’t get it. Should he … why is he dead?”</p>
<p>“He shouldn’t be.”</p>
<p>Leonard doubts that even a superserum would have helped. There was nothing to regenerate, nothing left to heal, at least, not in the body …</p>
<p>Tracy. Damnit, what is he supposed to <em>say</em>?</p>
<p>The intercom whistles. “Kirk to Dr McCoy.”</p>
<p>Leonard’s voice almost doesn’t tremble. “McCoy here, Captain.”</p>
<p>“The computer just sent me a death log, what the <em>hell</em> is going on down there?”</p>
<p>If only he knew. Maybe he should dip into the tri-ox himself. He’s starting to feel light-headed. “Uh …” He can’t do this over intercom, or in front of Brent, or … he can’t do this at all. But he must. “I’d rather tell you in person, Captain.”</p>
<p>“Meet me in my ready room in five. Kirk out.”</p>
<p>Leonard forces another deep breath into his lungs. “Brent, finish up here. Medlab will have to do a full autopsy, maybe they’ll shed some light on why he’s dead. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”</p>
<p>He stalks off without waiting for a reply.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On his way through medbay, he spots Tracy talking to Kevin Riley, the Lieutenant from Engineering who reported the emergency. </p>
<p>Leonard calls on his experience of talking to distressed people about their loved ones and makes his way over.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Karen,” he says. Tracy flinches. “He didn’t make it. The damage was minor, so I’m not sure what exactly happened. Not yet. Medlab will get to the bottom of it.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for telling me, Doctor.” </p>
<p>Tracy doesn’t blame him. He’s not so sure he doesn’t blame himself.</p>
<p>Leonard looks at Riley. “You alright, Lieutenant?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Doctor, sorry, sir.”</p>
<p>Leonard looks around medbay, which is blessedly devoid of patients, then back to Tracy. “You alright to continue on the code blue?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Then get on that. I’ll have to brief the Captain.”</p>
<p>He all but flees from medbay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jim is waiting for him in the Captain’s ready room. Conceivably, the first officer might have been present, too, but … it’s just Jim.</p>
<p>“Holy shit, Bones, what happened? You look like hell. Sit down! And then tell me. From the beginning.”</p>
<p>Leonard collapses into a chair at the opposite end of the table. “I have <em>no idea</em> what happened. There was an incident in rec room 3, Tormolen apparently grabbed a knife and threatened to kill himself. Lieutenant Riley from Engineerin’ and some others tried to stop him, but he fell, on the knife. It was a blunt one from the replicator, the damage was easy to repair, and I got to him in plenty of time, but he just … crashed. For absolutely no reason. Medically, I mean.” He barks a laugh. “I actually specalized in trauma surgery, did you know that? Used to work ER shifts at Emory durin’ my internship. I’ve lost patients before. But never like that. It’s just … it’s like he just gave up.”</p>
<p>“Well then, it sounds to me like there’s nothing you could have done about it. And let’s just say … I don’t believe in coincidences.”</p>
<p>“You mean it’s connected to what’s happenin’ on the planet?” Leonard sits bolt upright. That hasn’t even <em>occurred</em> to him, damnit, what kind of a doctor <em>is</em> he? “But we still have no clue what is goin’ on down there, and besides, how could he have caught whatever it was? He wore a hazmat suit, he went through decontamination and all of our checks were clear!”</p>
<p>“Maybe he did something on the planet that resulted in him being exposed. Something he didn’t dare report.”</p>
<p>Much as Leonard would like to believe that kind of thing doesn’t happen in Starfleet, they both know that it does. </p>
<p>“As for what it is …” Jim shrugs. “Just because our tests and decontamination parameters don’t catch it doesn’t mean there’s nothing there, does it?”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, Leonard nods. “I <em>hate</em> this. How am I supposed to —”</p>
<p>“Bones.” </p>
<p>That’s not Jim’s Captain’s voice. Leonard flinches anyway. “I’m sorry, sir.”</p>
<p>“Oh, for <em>God’s sake</em>.” Jim gets up, rounds the table and sits on its edge, leg just touching Leonard’s. “It’s <em>not</em> your fault, alright? Whatever happened to Tormolen. It’s just … space.”</p>
<p>“There’s no need to coddle me!” </p>
<p>Jim grabs his shoulders, leans in and kisses him before he can get away and ouch, that grip is strong.</p>
<p>But when Jim releases him, he does, somehow, feel better. </p>
<p>“Okay?” Jim asks. “Ready to do the impossible once more?”</p>
<p>“Do I have a choice?”</p>
<p>Jim grins. “Comm me the moment you know more.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Outside medbay, Leonard almost collides with Lieutenant Riley.</p>
<p>“Whoops, I’m so sorry, sir!”</p>
<p>Leonard frowns. “You sure you’re alright there, Lieutenant?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely! Nothing is going to knock down this Irishman, sir!”</p>
<p>Riley walks off, strictly speaking without having been dismissed, then starts whistling, loudly and off-key. </p>
<p>What in the name of …?</p>
<p>But never mind that now. Leonard makes a beeline to the intercom. “McCoy to medlab, report.”</p>
<p>“Hakim here. We’re still drawing a blank on anything that could have caused them to switch off life support, Doctor.”</p>
<p>Damnit. “And Tormolen?”</p>
<p>“Nothing. Medically, he should not be dead.”</p>
<p>Leonard exhales. So he hasn’t missed a bleeder. But still. “Alright, let’s start over. There must be somethin’ goin’ on that made these people go space happy!”</p>
<p>“Dr McCoy?” Tracy appears by his side. “I, uhm … might have an idea.”</p>
<p>“Great, let’s hear it! Hakim, stay on the line. Well, Technician?”</p>
<p>“When you were in surgery, I tried to do something useful, so I requested the station logs from Commander Spock …” Tracy pauses, unsure.</p>
<p>“Don’t feel guilty about takin’ initiative. Go on.”</p>
<p>“And, well, there seems to be a backstory to the strangled crewmember involving some rather complicated intercrew … relationships that I won’t go into now. But from what I understand, it’s not just making people suicidal. At least, not everyone. It’s more like they do things they think about, but still wouldn’t usually do.”</p>
<p>Leonard frowns. “You mean it makes people … what, lose their inhibitions?”</p>
<p>Tracy thinks about it, then nods. “I think that’s possible, sir. Something could have been produced during the environmental collapse on this planet that acts as an intoxicant to that effect. A bit like alcohol.”</p>
<p>That … makes sense. In the way that anything in space makes any sense at all. “Good catch, Technician. Any mention of any symptoms we might have seen recreated aboard?”</p>
<p>“Some reported being hot and itchy, before the logs cut out.”</p>
<p>“And yet,” Hakim interjects from the intercom, “there’s no trace of anything left in their bodies. They didn’t die from it, they died from what they did while their inhibitions were lowered.”</p>
<p>“Alright, we’re makin’ progress here,” Leonard says. There was no trace of anything in Tormolen, in the initial stages of the infection, nor is there anything left in the dead bodies. Is there any point at all during which their scanners might catch it? Hot and itchy, he thinks. It is rather too warn in medbay, isn’t it? “Tracy, let’s take a blood sample from you and me. If anyone else has caught it, it’s us.”</p>
<p>Tracy runs the analysis in record time with remarkable calm. </p>
<p>Leonard contemplates the results. “There’s <em>somethin’</em> there alright. Considerin’ the autopsies, it seems to leave the organism eventually, but we can’t wait for whatever else people do under the influence until it’s gone through the entire crew. It might also reinfect people. Y’all keep checkin’ and comparin’ blood samples to isolate the damn thing. And then we need to start thinkin’ anti-intoxicants.”</p>
<p>All of alpha and beta shift are gathered around him now, nodding, taking notes.</p>
<p>Leonard exhales. They know that there’s something here. But now they also know: it is contagious. Every crewmember might already be infected. Apart from …</p>
<p>“Hakim. Lock down medlab. Do it now.”</p>
<p>“We’re in lockdown, sir,” Hakim confirms. “Decontamination sweep in progress. For all the good that’ll do.”</p>
<p>“Check every lab tech’s blood for infection, just in case. If all clear, maintain lockdown under all circumstances until cause and cure have been found. Computer, that was a Medical Priority Order, Stardate …” he checks the intercom, “… 2260.255, 1513 hours, by Dr Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer, USS Enterprise.”</p>
<p>“Medical Priority Order confirmed,” the computer chirps. </p>
<p>“Hakim. I repeat, do <em>not</em> open that door. Not to anyone. Not even if the C-in-C herself shows up. Tracy, Brent, get to work on those blood samples. M’Benga, set up a database for testin’ everyone else here in medbay.” He turns back to the intercom. “McCoy to Captain Kirk.”</p>
<p>“Kirk here, I was just about to —”</p>
<p>“Blue alert, Captain. It’s contagious. And spreadin’.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, no kidding! Lieutenant Uhura, sound ship-wide blue alert! We’ve got it up here, too, please tell me you’ve found a cure for it.”</p>
<p>“Not yet, but —”</p>
<p>“Comm me the moment you — Mr Sulu, <em>put down the rapier</em>!”</p>
<p>The intercom whistles off. Rapier. Sure, why not. But Leonard can’t worry about that. All around them, the blue lights start flashing, and there is the siren, too.</p>
<p>Better get to work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time passes in a blur of blood sample after blood sample.</p>
<p>Now that everyone in medbay is infected, they isolate the damn thing fast. A cure, on the other hand …</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard has the temperature in medbay lowered. He can only hope everyone will keep calm. And that they’re holding out on the bridge, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The intercom whistles.</p>
<p>“This is Captain Kevin Thomas Riley of the starship Enterprise! I order double portions of ice cream for everyone!”</p>
<p>What the hell?</p>
<p>“Your Captain will now render an ancient Irish favorite!” Riley starts singing, “I’ll take you home again, Kathleen …”</p>
<p>“Shut that off!” Leonard shouts over the dirge. </p>
<p>“I’m trying, sir,” Krejci shouts back. “It’s on the emergency override.”</p>
<p>So they can’t contact the bridge over intercom, either. Leonard reaches for his communicator. “McCoy to Kirk, what the hell?”</p>
<p>“We’re working on it, Bones, but we’ve been kinda busy up here. On your end?”</p>
<p>“Same.” He slams the communicator shut. “Alright y’all, I know you’re tired, so let’s get this done.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think we got it, Doctor,” Hakim reports over communicator. </p>
<p>In the background, Riley is still singing and Leonard is about to go space happy himself.</p>
<p>“Confirmed,” Tracy says. “Combination 14-7 attacks the toxin and completely eradicates any trace of it in the samples. We’ve tested three.”</p>
<p>Leonard can’t allow himself to relax. Not yet. “Great! Let’s test it on a live subject.”</p>
<p>“With all due respect, sir,” M’Benga says, “but for the love of God, don’t test it on yourself!”</p>
<p>“I trust you won’t kill me. Tracy, load combination 14-7. Dosage, Hakim?”</p>
<p>“5 ccs,” Hakim reports, with a sigh. “Sir.”</p>
<p>“Stand by, medlab. Blood sample first,” Leonard orders. </p>
<p>Tracy takes the blood and hands it over to M’Benga.</p>
<p>“It’s still there, that nasty bugger,” M’Benga confirms.</p>
<p>“Nothin’ for it then.” </p>
<p>Tracy duly injects combination 14-7. The irritating heat and itchiness vanish almost instantly. They might be on to a valuable new broad-spectrum anti-intoxicant, at that.</p>
<p>Leonard looks up to find all of medbay staring at him like he’s about to drop dead on the spot. “Shut up,” he grumbles. “Standard tests, Technician.”</p>
<p>Tracy takes blood again, and runs a tricorder. “Readings 4-0, sir.”</p>
<p>“Blood is clear, too,” M’Benga reports. </p>
<p>It works. They can <em>fix</em> this. He can actually do something <em>good</em> today. Leonard exhales in relief. </p>
<p>But in a way, this is only where the real work begins - treating all crewmembers.</p>
<p>“Alright. Tracy, administer all of medbay. Hakim, what about the effect on non-human crewmembers?”</p>
<p>“Checking the database now … All species aboard seem to process alcohol and the like in the same manner.”</p>
<p>Alcohol, a true universal. How depressing.</p>
<p>“If I may …” Hakim pauses. “I also have an idea on how to make the ship-wide decontamination sweep catch any leftover trace of this, using these new findings.”</p>
<p>“Program it, but don’t run it just yet. We’ll need to administer this to every crewmember personally to make sure we get everyone. And to check whether anyone has injured themselves under the influence.” Leonard switches the frequency on the communicator. “McCoy to Captain Kirk.”</p>
<p>“Bones! Please tell me you’ve got something! Come on, Bones. You’ll save us, I know you will. You always save me, Bones, you —</p>
<p><em>— don’t want that kind of thing on record</em>. “Yes, sir,” Leonard snaps. “We do have somethin’. Stand by on the bridge. I’ll be right there. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>He slams the intercom off before Jim says anything compromising, and turns back to his staff.</p>
<p>“Split up into teams of twos, split the duty roster among you, track down every single crewmember. Start with security. Every team is to take two recovered guards along to track down the rest. Take sedatives, too. And one communicator per team. Krejci, you’re in charge of assignments. Tracy, you’re with me, we’ll take care of the bridge crew and our Irish popstar. Medlab, maintain lockdown in case somethin’ goes wrong. Any problems, any adverse reaction, anythin’ at <em>all</em> that you don’t like the look of, report to me <em>immediately</em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As soon as the turbolift doors open unto the bridge, Leonard has Jim in his arms. </p>
<p>“Bones! I knew you’d come and save us!”</p>
<p>He administers the hypo with well-practised ease. </p>
<p>“Ouch.” At least, Jim lets him go.</p>
<p>“You do realize that hypos don’t actually hurt, right?” </p>
<p>Jim looks sheepish.</p>
<p>Leonard rolls his eyes. Then he has the chance to take a look around. Uhura is working frantically on the communications station. Spock is just standing there - are those eyes wet? Must be some trick of the light.</p>
<p>Over some communicator, Scotty is saying, “You cannae expect me to break the laws of physics, sir, I really —”</p>
<p>“And now,” Riley’s voice interrupts, “I will render Kathleen one more time!”</p>
<p>“Oh God, please no.” Jim groans. “Bones, we have to go take care of him. Lieutenant, where are you on cutting him off?”</p>
<p>“Trying, sir!”</p>
<p>Leonard nods Tracy over. “Start with her, Technician.” He looks around the bridge once more. No one appears to be in any violent state. “Take care of the rest of the bridge. I’ll go with the Captain.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>He follows Jim into the turbolift.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They find Riley in Engineering, hunched over the console. </p>
<p>“Bridge to Captain Kirk,” comes Spock’s voice from the communicator. </p>
<p>“Kirk here.”</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Uhura has cut off Riley’s access to the communciations. All systems report normal. The technician from Medical has cleared all bridge officers, too.”</p>
<p>“Good. I’ll report back when we’re done here. Kirk out. Dr McCoy?”</p>
<p>Riley must have realized the broadcast has been cut short. There’s no resistance to the hypospray. But those eyes are still glazed over.</p>
<p>“Is it not working for him?” Jim asks.</p>
<p>“Let me check …” Leonard runs his tricorder over Riley. “No, it’s workin’ fine, physically he’s back to normal, he’s just … out of it. Mentally. I suppose this little trip past his inhibitions triggered somethin’ in his mind and now he’s … stuck.”</p>
<p>“Ice cream,” Riley slurs. “I just want some ice cream.”</p>
<p>“Childhood memory, probably.” Leonard is no psychologist, but he knows trauma when he sees it. </p>
<p>“Stand back,” Jim orders, voice flat.</p>
<p>“What? Why?”</p>
<p>“<em>Bones</em>.”</p>
<p>There’s something in the way Jim says it, something about <em>trauma</em>, that makes Leonard get to his feet and move away from the chair. Jim hasn’t told him to leave, though, so he just … stands back against the wall.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Riley!” Jim hunkers down next to the chair. “How you doing?”</p>
<p>“Ice cream …”</p>
<p>“Hey. Kev. It’s me, Kev. Hey, look at me, come on.”</p>
<p>“Jimmy?”</p>
<p>What.</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s right. It’s me. You’re safe here.”</p>
<p>“But Jimmy,” Riley sobs, “what if —”</p>
<p>“We made it out, remember? You did your Irish kings proud, you really did, Kev. They’re all proud of you. I’m proud of you.”</p>
<p>“But what if we’re not … not good enough …” </p>
<p>“You are good enough. You’re a Starfleet officer. Believe me, Kev. You <em>are</em> good enough.”</p>
<p>“You always say that.”</p>
<p>“Look around. You made it, you’re on a starship, you’re on the Enterprise. It’s over. Are you listening to me? It’s <em>over</em>.”</p>
<p>“I … Captain?” Riley snaps upright, to attention. “Oh my God, Captain, I don’t know what happened there, I’m <em>so</em> sorry.”</p>
<p>Jim gets up as well. “At ease, Lieutenant. It’s alright now. Some kind of space virus. There’s nothing to apologize for. Dr McCoy?”</p>
<p>Leonard is at a loss. What should he prescribe here? Return to duty? Rest? Mild sedative? Company? Can he prescribe <em>don’t be alone</em>? He runs through Riley’s medical records in his head. No indication of childhood trauma, damnit, what are they <em>doing</em> down there in Psych? The only oddity in Riley’s records are those deep scans of the bones that … are the same as Jim’s. </p>
<p>Oh, Lord. </p>
<p>Those scans that show just the faintest of traces of extensive treatment for osteoporosis, the kind you don’t really have in early adolescence unless you were suffering from a severe disease, or … you were malnourished, maybe even starving. </p>
<p>Ice cream. Riley wanted ice cream. </p>
<p>Fuck.</p>
<p>Jim and Riley are looking at him like they’re expecting him to fix this, so he has to say something, “This has been a gruellin’ shift, Lieutenant. For everyone. Do get some rest.” Leonard reaches into his medikit and produces a hypospray. “This is to help you sleep, if you want it. Off the record,” he adds, quickly, before he can regret it.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Doctor.” Riley takes the hypospray, then looks at Jim.</p>
<p>“It’s alright, Lieutenant. You’re dismissed.”</p>
<p>“Sir.” </p>
<p>Riley walks away, leaving Leonard and Jim alone in the room. </p>
<p>Without looking at Leonard, Jim reaches for the communicator. “Kirk to bridge.”</p>
<p>“Spock here, Captain.”</p>
<p>“We got Riley. Maintain blue alert until we get the all clear from Medical. I want full reports from all staff officers in my ready room in fifteen minutes. Kirk out.” Without turning around, Jim adds, “That includes you, Doctor.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Captain,” he tells Jim’s retreating back.</p>
<p>What the <em>hell</em> just happened there between Jim and Riley?</p>
<p>But Leonard can’t dwell on that. Not yet. He walks over to the intercom. “McCoy to medbay. Report.”</p>
<p>“Krejci here, Doctor. All crewmembers save Lieutenant Kevin Riley are accounted for and have had the antidote administered. No reports of adverse reactions or problems of any kind. One report of a large fight, but all resolved now. We’ve treated a few minor injuries sustained under the influence. Nothing worse than a sprained ankle. Dr M’Benga says he could discharge them all now, if not for the blue alert.”</p>
<p>“Mark Riley as cleared. Discharge patients as Dr M’Benga advises, send it all over to my personal padd, includin’ everythin’ on the fight, and hand medbay over to gamma shift. McCoy out.” He flicks a switch. “Computer. End of Priority Medical Order, Stardate … 2260.225, 2319 hours, authorised by Dr Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer, USS Enterprise.”</p>
<p>“Confirmed.”</p>
<p>Another flick. “McCoy to medlab. Report.”</p>
<p>“Hakim here, Doctor. Medlab is secure in lockdown. The bodies have all been processed. We have adjusted the decontamination parameters as well. Approximate duration of a ship-wide sweep will be three hours. Shall we run it?”</p>
<p>“No, not yet. I’m on my way to the staff officer briefing to have us stand down from blue alert. When we do, lift the lockdown and hand over to gamma shift. Y’all have done more than enough. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>Leonard switches off the intercom and leans against the wall. He gets his padd out of the medikit, where the data he requested has duly arrived. The fight was between some people down in the shuttle bay trying to launch pods into space. Oh, Lord. If the cure had taken much longer, who knows how many other people would have died under the influence?</p>
<p>He stuffs the padd back into the medikit, takes a deep breath, and sets off towards the turbolift.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dr McCoy, report,” Jim orders the moment Leonard walks through the door.</p>
<p>“The disease is eradicated, Captain,” Leonard says. “Some minor injuries were sustained under the influence, but no further fatalities. Medical reports all clear. Medlab has adjusted the parameters of the decontamination sweep as well, which we should run just in case. Overall, Medical staff deserve a commendation, especially Technicians Marina Hakim and Karen Tracy.” </p>
<p>“I’ll put it in my log. Lieutenant Uhura, stand down blue alert.” </p>
<p>“Right away, Captain.”</p>
<p>The blue lights stop flashing. Finally.</p>
<p>“I don’t get it, sir,” Cupcake says. “How did this thing even get aboard under the code blue?”</p>
<p>Spock opens his mouth, but Jim interrupts, “I believe you have investigated that as well, Doctor?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Captain.” In the back of his mind, Leonard feels that he should not say the following in front of Finney, but that is nonsense. The damn Chief Records Officer has to read all the logs anyway. So he continues, “The spread pattern and Technician Hakim’s autopsy findings indicate that Tormolen was exposed directly, which means it happened on the planet.”</p>
<p>“All due respect, Doc,” Scotty interjects, “but that’s not possible. He wore a hazmat suit. I checked those suits myself just the other day!”</p>
<p>“And yet, he was exposed. We didn’t catch it in the check-up, admittedly, but as we also found out, this toxin remains entirely hidden from all scanners until the first symptoms appear.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe he got it from those corpses in medlab!”</p>
<p>“There is no trace of the toxin left in the dead bodies. The station personnel didn’t die of that toxin, they died from what they did under its influence.”</p>
<p>Scotty throws up both hands in defeat and despair. “I’ll be running full checks on those hazmat suits, of course! Question of professional pride, that. But I’m telling you, it’s only possible if he removed a piece of the suit on the planet. On purpose!”</p>
<p>“Doctor,” Spock puts in, “I am uncertain as to what you seem to be implying. Such behavior would be highly illogical, especially for Starfleet Science staff.”</p>
<p>No kidding. Leonard is just about out of patience. “That’s exactly right, Spock! Which means the <em>logical</em> thing to do is to schedule a health and safety drill for the everyone in the Science department tomorrow at 0700. <em>Everyone</em>! That includes you, Commander! Right after Science have finished runnin’ that full decontamination sweep of the entire ship, because my staff sure as hell ain’t pullin’ any more overtime!”</p>
<p>Spock raises an eyebrow and has the sheer <em>nerve</em> to look at Jim.</p>
<p>Jim shrugs. “You’re the one with the superior hearing, Mr Spock, you don’t need me to repeat Dr McCoy’s orders for you.”</p>
<p>Spock’s mouth opens and closes. </p>
<p>But it was a Science specialist who fucked up something as basic as a hazmat suit and that makes the Head of Science responsible, too. Spock <em>knows</em> that. It must pain that logical Vulcan brain that probably thinks it never made a mistake in its whole entire life. </p>
<p>But a mistake has been made and someone is <em>dead</em>.</p>
<p>“Very well, Doctor,” Spock manages. “There does appear to be a deficiency in the implementation of standard safety protocols in Science. As Head of Science, I accept full responsibility.”</p>
<p>Finally, some common sense.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Jim says. “We’ll never be able to rule out individual error completely, and regrettably, Tormolen paid for it with his life. We owe it to him to learn our lessons. I trust we will all work together to further refine the safety protocols and their implementation as best we can.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” echoes all around.</p>
<p>Leonard should be satisfied by this outcome, but he’s too exhausted to care. And hardly free of blame. His staff went above and beyond, but as for himself … He has run these briefings before, as well as countless drills, with every department, and yet, here he is with another body on his log. On his table, even. Toxin or not, careless mistake or not, Tormolen should <em>not</em> be dead. The last, and the most crucial mistake was Leonard’s own.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Scotty reports from Engineering, Uhura from Communications and Cupcake from Security. Finney says something about the condition of the planet which they’ll apparently stick around to monitor as it disintegrates. </p>
<p>Leonard will ignore it in the logs. </p>
<p>Spock trudges off to deal with the decontamination sweep and the rest of them is off duty. Theoretically. </p>
<p>Which leaves Leonard to deal with the small question of whatever the hell it was that happened between Jim and Riley. Theoretically.</p>
<p>But only theoretically, because Jim turns to Sulu and asks something about the ship’s orbit and the two of them leave the room together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard heads to medbay, to check in. Or so he tells himself.</p>
<p>No beds are occupied, at least.</p>
<p>“Sir.” That’s Dr Victoria Sanchez, the gamma shift doctor. But M’Benga is also still around.</p>
<p>“Right. You,” Leonard says to Sanchez, “are supposed to be here. You,” to M’Benga, “are not.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, sir,” M’Benga says. “Just trying to make sure everyone is alright.”</p>
<p>Leonard looks at Sanchez, who shrugs. “I have just been starting to contemplate kicking him out. Literally. Him and all the others who should be off duty. That includes you. Sir.”</p>
<p>If the day hadn’t been quite so long, Leonard might have smiled. “Noted. Let me get back to you on that.”</p>
<p>He walks over to the nearest other person, who happens to be Tracy. “Technician! I didn’t pawn the decontamination sweep off to Science only to find you pullin’ overtime anyway.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, sir.” </p>
<p>“Hey. Are you alright?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir, sorry, sir.”</p>
<p>If this were Emory, Leonard would probably drag Tracy to the nearest bar, drinks on him. </p>
<p>But it isn’t.</p>
<p>Looking around medbay again, pretty much all of alpha and beta shift are still milling around. Probably the same in medlab.</p>
<p>Oh, to hell with it.</p>
<p>Leonard reaches over to the intercom. “McCoy to medlab. And attention all of medbay. Any crewmember on alpha or beta shift still pretendin’ to be on duty, get the <em>hell</em> out of here, right now. There’ll be drinks on me in rec room 4 in ten minutes, and none of that infernal Saurian brandy!” He pauses. “Great job, y’all. McCoy out.”</p>
<p>He turns and walks out without checking for reactions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rec room 4 is brimming with people when Leonard gets there, armed with bourbon. </p>
<p>“Listen up, y’all!” he shouts over the chatter. The room falls silent. Usually, he’d leave the speech-giving to Jim, but … “You saved the day,” he manages, looking at every member of his staff in turn. Tracy is here, and Hakim, and M’Benga. Brent, too. Krejci and Burke and the rest of the nurses. All of alpha and beta shift. All hanging on his lips. “And while the Science department cleans up …” There’s a few chuckles around the room. Leonard passes the bourbon to Krejci, who has glasses on hand and starts distributing. Good man, Krejci. Good people, all of them. “Let me just say …” He raises the glass Krejci puts into his hand. “Here’s to Medical!”</p>
<p>They cheer and laugh and clink glasses with each other.</p>
<p>Leonard allows himself a moment to just be <em>proud</em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He finds Tracy sitting alone at a table at the far end of the room.</p>
<p>“Well.” Leonard drops into an empty seat. “<em>Are</em> you alright?”</p>
<p>“This is excellent bourbon. Thank you, sir.”</p>
<p>“Only Kentucky’s finest for my staff.” </p>
<p>He waits.</p>
<p>Tracy heaves a sigh. “It’s just … I let Joey walk out of medbay. I should have …”</p>
<p>“Don’t.” Leonard’s throat feels tight.</p>
<p>“Sir?”</p>
<p>“His death is not on you.”</p>
<p>“But —”</p>
<p>“No. There was no reason for you to suspect he’d been exposed.”</p>
<p>“But I knew him, I knew he had trouble!”</p>
<p>“That’s not on you, either. You said it yourself. The Technical Services Academy let him graduate. Starfleet Psych cleared him for a long-range mission. His Chief Science Officer picked him for a critical away mission. He went past several higher authorities that could have prevented his death before he walked through the doors of medbay. And when he did, you raised your concerns with yet another higher authority, in that case, with me.” </p>
<p>Tracy looks about to protest again, so Leonard continues, “I’m the CMO, ultimately it was my call to allow them to leave medbay, and it was the wrong call. It was also my surgery that failed to save him. Now, I can beat myself up about that, or I can learn from my mistakes, refine our protocols and our scanners for yet another eventuality no one back on Earth could have foreseen, and put myself in a position to make a better call next time. We’ll never save everyone, here in deep space. But we’ll do our damn best to save the next one. And the next. That sound like a plan to you?”</p>
<p>When Tracy smiles, Leonard almost believes it himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At least the bourbon has left him with a pleasant buzz.</p>
<p>He opens the door to his quarters, where … Jim is sitting at the desk, half-empty tumbler in hand.</p>
<p>Damnit, what <em>time</em> is it? </p>
<p>“Uhm …” The door slides shut behind him. It’s almost, but not quite, dark. “What the hell are you doin’?”</p>
<p>Jim shrugs. “What’s it look like?”</p>
<p>“And how <em>long</em> have you been doin’ it?”</p>
<p>“Hell if I know. The gamma shift doctor, what’s her name …”</p>
<p>“Sanchez.”</p>
<p>“That’s right, Sanchez, she told me you dragged the rest off for some well-deserved celebrations, and I, uh … didn’t want to interrupt. Thought that would be … unprofessional.”</p>
<p><em>Ouch</em>. Leonard hopes it’s too dark for Jim to see his flinch. “Well, when it comes right down to it, plyin’ two thirds of Medical with bourbon is not exactly professional, either.”</p>
<p>A low chuckle from Jim, but no reply.</p>
<p>Is this the point where they mention what Jim and Riley were talking about? Where Jim explains to Leonard what it was that they <em>made it out of</em>? The thought of Jim sitting here, sitting on <em>that</em>, waiting …</p>
<p>“Damnit, man, you could’ve commed. I would have been here right away.”</p>
<p>“Nah.” Jim puts the tumbler down and gets up, gets closer. “Your staff needed their CMO. I didn’t. I mean, not my CMO, just …”</p>
<p>The sheer amount of want and <em>need</em> in Jim’s voice sends shivers down Leonard’s spine. But beneath that, Jim almost sounds … afraid? </p>
<p>“Anythin’,” he offers.</p>
<p>Jim leans in to kiss him, slow and deep and oh Lord. </p>
<p>Anything <em>at all.</em></p>
<p>They’re at that strange point in the night where it’s both too late and too early, so Leonard takes it slow, relishes every inch of exposed skin, muscles taunt beneath his touch.</p>
<p>He manoeuvres Jim over to the bed, shedding their uniforms along the way. </p>
<p>“Oh God,” Jim whispers. “I know there’s stuff I should tell you about, but I can’t, not yet, I just need … I could have … when that thing … I would’ve done this right then and there on the bridge, fuck, <em>Bones</em>.”</p>
<p>It’s a scary thing, watching Captain James T. Kirk fall apart.</p>
<p>Leonard has always suspected that there are layers here that he cannot heal, cannot even <em>reach</em>, old scar tissue that belongs to <em>Jimmy</em>. </p>
<p>He can’t fix this, he can’t fix much of anything these days, but he can be what Jim needs now, so he gives it, kiss by kiss, thrust by thrust, and he doesn’t whisper <em>it’s okay</em>, because it isn’t, so all he really has on offer is, <em>I’m right here</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In TOS, the virus outbreak on the Enterprise and the planet’s disintegration occur at the same time. Besides, it’s actually McCoy himself who doesn’t know Spock’s readings are normal for a Vulcan (although he might have been joking). Furthermore in TOS, Kevin Riley does want ice cream, but Kirk doesn’t know he was on Tarsus IV as well until he discovers it in the records in The Conscience of the King.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Galileo Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Current shiptime is 0700 hours,” the computer’s alarm intones. “The Stardate is 2260.319. Good morning, Captain.”</p><p>“Good moooorning,” Jim sing-songs, already half out of the bed.</p><p>Leonard grumbles into the pillows. How anyone can be this energetic first thing in the morning is beyond him. Maybe it’s the six years he has on Jim.</p><p>Next door, the shower is running. </p><p>With a groan, Leonard sits up. 2260.319, eh? He’s not sure how that happened, how it’s been over two months already since the incident with the inhibition-lowering virus. </p><p>Yes, the ship works on the same 24 hours schedule as Earth, complete with dimmed lights out in the corridors during the “night,” but Leonard still has trouble gauging the passage of weeks and months when there’s nothing outside the viewscreens but the black.</p><p>Most of those past two months, the Enterprise has been charting star systems. Not so much as a yellow alert. This is an aspect of long-range missions that Leonard didn’t really think about in advance, all that time spent cataloguing and classifying whatever happens to come their way, which is a lot more than before, when the Enterprise had only been sent out for specific missions. They’re due for shore leave soon, too.</p><p>Space isn’t so bad when nothing is actively trying to kill you. </p><p>Except, well, space itself. </p><p>As for Leonard, he has spent his past two months supervising research projects. The <em>Comparative Alien Physiology</em> database is in the process of constant expansion. The toxin from Psi 2000 has indeed sparked further refinements for several anti-intoxicants. He is also rotating his staff through training sims on all kinds of surgeries, and is considering teaming up with Engineering to write some more realistic ones, and currently, he’s — </p><p>A cup of coffee appears in his line of vision. He grabs it and takes a deep swallow. Much better.</p><p>“What’d you think?” Jim has sat down by the desk, also nursing some coffee. “How many complaints overnight?”</p><p>“Five.”</p><p>“I’d wager seven.” Jim checks the padd. “Aw, you’re closer. It’s only three! Apparently, though, get this, it’s too <em>cold</em> in his Majesty’s chambers now.”</p><p>Leonard rolls his eyes. “Better remind Scotty that it’s still a crime to murder someone, not to mention a Federation High Commissioner, even if he insults the Enterprise.”</p><p>Jim laughs. “Good point. At least, he’ll disembark on Makus III, that’s only another couple of days.”</p><p>“Any news from the Bradbury?”</p><p>“Don’t think so.” Jim checks the padd again. “Nope. We’ll have their latest logs by alpha briefing, but they haven’t moved the rendezvous forward, so I guess they’re still busy administering the first wave of treatments.”</p><p>“Damnit. It’d be faster if we ferried the supplies all the way over to the New Paris colonies ourselves.”</p><p>“Probably, yeah, but you know Starfleet’s orders, no other ship is to enter that system because of the plague.”</p><p>Considering how badly the Enterprise had messed up the last code blue, Leonard shouldn’t be surprised they’ve been relegated to courier duty for the time being, and never mind that that was the fault of Science, not Medical. “I just hope Piper knows what he’s doing.”</p><p>“Wait, you’re telling me you haven’t spent all of yesterday pouring over every last detail of Piper’s files after all that …” Jim takes a deep breath and mimics, “<em>I need to know exactly what y’all are lettin’ into my medbay’s storage, with all due respect, sir?</em>”</p><p>Leonard shudders. “Poor Georgia ain’t done nothin’ to you.” He reaches for his own padd. There’s a message from Sanchez that just says: <em>It’ll work</em>. “Might have had an idea or two about the efficiency of the vaccine.”</p><p>“Ohhh, let me guess, you <em>might</em> also have had medlab run tests overnight and you <em>might</em> have to send it over to Starfleet Medical today and Piper <em>might</em> be just <em>a little bit</em> pissed off?”</p><p>Leonard doesn’t laugh. He <em>doesn’t</em>. “Don’t get too excited. It’s just a little tweak here and there.”</p><p>“Whatever you say, Doctor. Just let me know if I need to run interference with Starfleet.” Jim gulps down the rest of the coffee. “Alright, I have to go check for peas under the prince’s mattress or something. See you on the bridge, yeah?”</p><p>Jim leans over and kisses his temple and is out of the room without waiting for a reply.</p><p>So if Leonard is hiding a smile in his cup of coffee, no one will ever know.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He manages to drag himself out of bed, under the shower, into his uniform and finally onto the bridge by 0800. Gamma shift has cleared out, and Jim is already there, seated in the Captain’s chair. To the left is Federation High Commissioner Ferris, no doubt complaining about something or other. </p><p>The turbolift opens. Scotty walks in and surveys the scene, then comes to stand next to Leonard. “That moron’s still yapping, eh?”</p><p>“You know Federation bureaucrats.” Leonard shrugs. “There’s always <em>somethin’</em>.” </p><p>Scotty heaves a sigh.</p><p>“Alright!” Jim’s voice rings out across the bridge. “Let’s get started for the day, shall we. Mr Chekov, status report.”</p><p>“We are on course for Makus III, Captain. Our current speed is warp factor one. We will arrive at Makus III in three days, fifteen hours and forty-seven minutes. Estimated rendezvous with the Bradbury in five days, sixteen hours and fifty-seven minutes.”</p><p>Jim turns to Ferris as if to say, <em>there, happy now?</em> Ferris huffs.</p><p>“Anything else you can report about our route?” Jim asks.</p><p>“Yes, sir. We will shortly be passing by the quasar-like formation, designated Murasaki 312. As of yet, it is uncharted.” </p><p>Finney clears his throat. “We do have standing orders to investigate any such formation. Captain.”</p><p>“You can’t do that now!” Commissioner Ferris snaps before Jim can reply. “You must get to the rendezvous in time! That is your one and only priority right now!”</p><p>Oh, dear. </p><p>All around Leonard, people shift in their seats. </p><p>“<em>Relax</em>, commissioner!” Jim grins in that <em>let’s go do something stupid</em> way that Leonard hasn’t seen much since … well, since Khan. Either way, Ferris is in for a treat. “We’ll be at the rendezvous way ahead of the Bradbury. I mean, a standard quasar exploration like that, it’ll only take about, what …” Jim looks at Spock.</p><p>“The average time taken by a standard exploratory shuttlecraft crew to investigate quasars and quasar-like formations is 2.7 hours, Captain.”</p><p>“2.7 hours. Let’s make it three, shall we?”</p><p>“A wise precaution,” Spock says. “If we bypassed this unique opportunity of scientific exploration, we would be in direct violation of our standing orders.”</p><p>“Well, now, can’t have that, can we!” </p><p>Leonard tries, very hard, not to laugh. Sometimes, he can’t help but think that Jim and Spock were made for the bridge of the Enterprise. And for each other. </p><p>“Fine!” Ferris snaps. “Three hours! But not one second more!”</p><p>Jim’s grin widens. “All staff officers, I want a standard exploratory shuttle crew ready in ten minutes, see to it. And Mr Finney, you’ll be going yourself, of course!”</p><p>Finney does manage, “Yes, sir.” </p><p>“That’s all for now,” Jim says, still grinning. “Dismissed.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Leonard walks into medbay to find it blessedly empty of patients. Sanchez is waiting for him with a padd. “Details for those tests, Doctor. Good morning.”</p><p>“Good morning indeed. Thank you for these. Gamma shift dismissed.”</p><p>“Sir.”</p><p>Alpha shift is already up and running as per usual. Leonard looks around for someone to send as medic on the shuttle. He’s feeling generous today, so why not the head nurse. </p><p>“Krejci! Grab a field medkit and report to shuttle bay. Standard exploratory crew, some quasar or what have you.”</p><p>“Right away, sir.” Krejci duly takes off, kit in hand. </p><p>“Good morning, Doctor.” Tracy appears by his side. “If I may, why the shuttle? I thought we were en route to Makus III urgently?”</p><p>“Science assures me that we can spare three hours on this <em>unique</em> opportunity.” Leonard shrugs. “How’s the latest subject from your psych programme doing?”</p><p>“Cautiously optimistic outlook, sir. Bailey finished his first gamma shift in the main navigator’s seat just now. He wrote to say it went well, but I’ve got another session scheduled with him at 1000 hours.”</p><p>“Good. That should also give us enough time to go over the test results from gamma shift with medlab. Get Hakim over here. I want a report for Starfleet Medical ready before noon and —”</p><p>The intercom whistles. “Finney to McCoy.”</p><p>What now? “McCoy here.”</p><p>“Report to shuttle bay for the exploratory shuttle crew.”</p><p>“The hell I will! Medical Code 23 Section B. Any nurse can be designated the field medic for a standard exploratory shuttle crew. Sendin’ my head nurse was already a gesture of goodwill. There’s no reason for me to join your little field trip.”</p><p>“But surely, you are also aware of Starfleet Regulation 113 Section A. Staff officers have to log a certain amount of hours aboard shuttle crews.” Finney sounds smug, in a <em>if I have to suffer, then so do you</em> type of way. “Now, I just happened to notice that you are quite a bit behind on <em>your</em> hours and I wouldn’t want to put a note in my log about how one of my fellow staff officers is not pulling their weight. Would I, McCoy?”</p><p>Goddamn Finney … It’s true, Leonard has taken a rather liberal approach to that particular piece of Regulation, but no one has ever complained. So far. </p><p>For just a moment, Leonard considers appealing to Jim. </p><p>But he won’t.</p><p>There’s always the chance that Jim will laugh it off and tell him <em>it’ll be good for you</em>. And besides, Leonard <em>swore</em> to himself that he would never put Jim in a position where it looks like the Captain is playing favorites.</p><p>“Stand by, Mr Finney,” he grumbles into the intercom. “I’ll be right there.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>They make it all of ten minutes into their three hours before they run into trouble.</p><p>“It’s an ion storm,” Science specialist Boma says from the navigator’s console.</p><p>Of course it is.</p><p>Leonard only manages to think <em>unbelievable</em> before said ion storm hurls the shuttle off to God-knows-where. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Galileo to Enterprise,” Spock says. “We’re off course, out of control. Enterprise, come in, please.”</p><p>The only reply is static.</p><p>“Brace for impact!” their pilot, Latimer, shouts.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The shuttle comes to a rattling stand-still on … something. A planet inside the quasar? The shuttle seems to have held together, but …</p><p>Around him, people are sitting up in their seats again. By quick triage, no one seems seriously hurt. Yet. There’s smoke coming from several consoles.</p><p>“You alright?” Leonard asks the radiation technician, Gaetano, the next seat over. </p><p>“Yes, Doctor. Just hurt my wrist, I think.”</p><p>Leonard checks his tricorder, but as expected, the ion storm has fried its circuits. He reaches out and assesses Gaetano’s wrist by hand. “It’s not broken, but you’ll have one hell of a bruise.”</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Spock, Boma and Latimer pouring over the fried consoles, probably trying to determine how deep in trouble they are. </p><p>Leonard moves on to Jenny Mears, the shuttle tech.</p><p>“You alright there?”</p><p>“Got a small bump on the head, I think …”</p><p>Actually, Leonard had better check everyone for head trauma. That was one hell of a landing …</p><p>“Are you feeling light-headed? Nauseous?”</p><p>“No, Doctor.”</p><p>“Track my finger with your eyes …”</p><p>“I should get to the repairs, Doctor,” Mears says.</p><p>“Alright. But if you do start feeling light-headed, you tell me immediately!”</p><p>“Yes, sir.”</p><p>“Doctor,” Spock calls from across the shuttle. “Any readings on the atmosphere?”</p><p>So they are on a planet. </p><p>Leonard looks at Mears. “How’s the life support doing?”</p><p>Mears gives the console in question a once-over and runs some sort of check through it. “Life support is operational, sir.”</p><p>At last, some good news. Leonard busies himself with the atmospheric readings. “Breathable, but I wouldn’t recommend it for shore leave.”</p><p>“Mr Finney, Any life forms?”</p><p>“Unclear from these readings, Commander. Too much interference.”</p><p>“Very well.” Spock looks around. “Boma, Latimer, Gaetano, take some phasers and scout the area.” </p><p>“Just a minute there!” Leonard interrupts. “No one’s leaving this shuttle before I’ve cleared them for duty!” Damnit, Jim wouldn’t have forgotten to check in with Medical. Or maybe just with Leonard? Somewhat belatedly, he adds, “Sir.”</p><p>Spock just raises an eyebrow. “Is your tricorder still functioning?”</p><p>“No, but I think I can just about manage to detect a major head trauma anyway.” </p><p>Someone chuckles at that. Damnit. </p><p>“Proceed, Doctor.” </p><p>Leonard goes to check Gaetano for head trauma, then moves on to Boma, Latimer, Finney, and, last but not least, Spock.</p><p>“Everyone is cleared for duty, Commander.”</p><p>“Thank you, Doctor.” Spock makes it sound like an insult. “Mears, status report on the shuttle?” </p><p>“I’m still assessing the extent of the damage, sir, but it’s bad,” comes the reply from underneath a console.</p><p>“We might be here for some time,” Finney says.</p><p>Stuck on an alien planet in a shuttle with Spock and <em>Finney</em>. Leonard stifles a groan. At least this should take care of his shuttle hours for the foreseeable future.</p><p>“Boma, Latimer, Gaetano,” Spock repeats, “you may leave the shuttle. Do not venture beyond visual range.”</p><p>“Aye, sir.” The three of them grab their phasers and head out. Through the shuttle doors, Leonard can see rocks and greenish gases. Hopefully those atmospheric readings were correct …</p><p>“What about contacting the Enterprise?” Leonard asks.</p><p>“I have activated an emergency beacon, but with this ionization effect, we have no means of contacting them directly,” Spock says. “Should the Enterprise attempt to locate us, they would be reduced to search by visual only. They would, in your vernacular, be looking for a needle in a haystack.”</p><p>“In that case,” Finney says, “the Enterprise should not be looking for us at all. Starfleet will prioritize making the rendezvous with the Bradbury.”</p><p>The rendezvous which they’d make with two days to spare even at warp one. Jim is not going to focus on that and they all know it.</p><p>“The Enterprise is up there right now,” Leonard says. “Doin’ some old school grid search, if they have to. We’ll just have to get their attention somehow.”</p><p>“Oh, because your Captain would never leave you?” Finney sneers.</p><p>“<em>Our</em> Captain wouldn’t leave <em>anyone</em>!”</p><p>It’s a testament to how far they’ve come that Spock doesn’t cite Regulation.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“I’m afraid I have bad news, Commander,” Mears says. “We’ve lost most of the fuel. With what we have, the shuttle is currently too heavy to make orbit. By about five hundred pounds.”</p><p>“So we have to get rid of some equipment?” Leonard asks. </p><p>“That might not be enough, Doctor,” Spock says. “Most of this equipment is essential. It might become necessary that some of us stay behind.”</p><p>Leonard feels queasy. There’s survival kits among the equipment. It would be possible to survive on this planet. For a while, anyway. The shuttle only needs to raise the Enterprise, and then come back for whoever might be left here. And yet, considering those rocks out there … “Well, before you make some undoubtedly logical decision … let’s check those compartments over anyway, shall we?”</p><p>“Very well,” Spock says. “Mr Finney, you will assist Dr McCoy with identifying any potential excess. I shall in the meantime conduct a survey of the outer hull of the shuttlecraft, lest we miss some damage.”</p><p>Somehow, they both manage, “Yes, sir.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“You do realize that you should <em>not</em> hope Kirk is up there looking for us.” Finney shifts a survival kit out of the way. </p><p>Leonard mostly realizes that he’s holding a <em>heavy</em> crate within slipping range of Finney’s feet.</p><p>“For Kirk’s sake, of course.”</p><p>He doesn’t want to ask, but if there’s something that could cause a problem for Jim … “Oh please, do enlighten me.”</p><p>“Kirk should be on his way to Makus III to make that rendezvous. We can survive down here, for weeks if necessary, and he knows it. He can always come looking for us after, if he really wants to. But prioritizing that rendezvous is not his choice anymore. The High Commissioner gave him three hours, and regardless of what some hot-shot captain thinks, Starfleet still answers to the Federation, not the other way around. If Kirk disobeys a direct order, they’ll court-martial him for insubordination. Maybe he should be a little less fond of you, hm?”</p><p>Leonard puts down the crate before <em>he</em> does something worthy of being court-martialed. “For the <em>last</em> time, the Captain lookin’ for us has <em>nothin’</em>  to do with who is on this shuttle!”</p><p>“You keep telling yourself that.” Finney climbs over some more survival kits into the back of the compartment. “I suppose we won’t be needing the thermal gear. Will we, Doctor?”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The scouting party returns at a run, or as well of a run as Boma and Gaetano can manage while carrying Latimer between them, who has taken a spear through the chest. </p><p>“The natives, sir, they attacked us! From up in the hills. We weren’t even doing anything!” Gaetano explains.</p><p>Leonard feels for Latimer’s pulse. It’s not there. Of course not. Another death on his log, then. The second one. Damnit. Also, if there are aggressive natives on the planet, their prospect of surviving here, for weeks if necessary, has just reduced significantly.</p><p>Frowning, Spock comes closer. “They attacked with spears?” </p><p>“Don’t touch it!” Leonard snaps before that goddamn Chief Science Officer reaches for a lethal alien weapon with bare hands. “Sir. It might be poisonous!”</p><p>Spock arches an eyebrow. “An excellent point, Doctor. Blunt force alone would make for a rather inefficient weapon.”</p><p>“What are you talking about!” Boma shouts in a tone that screams court-martial me. “There’s a man dead!”</p><p>“Gentlemen,” Spock says over the general grumble. “Let us focus our attention on getting off this planet without incurring any more casualties.”</p><p>That, at least, they can all agree to.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Boma and Gaetano have to go back outside again, to stand guard. Spock and Finney and Mears are working on three different consoles inside the shuttle.</p><p>Leonard elects to keep sifting through the essential kit rather than trying to remember his Engineering 101 class. Spock was right, though. There is not much excess. Maybe two hundred pounds. Well, and Latimer’s body. If they are going to go there. But first, the others need to get the damn shuttle flight-ready again or the excess weight won’t make a difference.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Commander, the batteries just gave out,” Finney notes from where he’s working. </p><p>That can’t be good.</p><p>“Technician?” Spock asks.</p><p>Mears gets up and over to the batteries. “That’s odd, sir, they’re just … drained of energy completely. Maybe it’s the overall strain on the shuttle.”</p><p>“Can you get them operational again?”</p><p>“We’ll need something to jump-start them …” Mears looks around the shuttle. “Phasers. We could channel the energy from the phasers into the batteries.”</p><p>“And defend ourselves with what, one of those spears?” Finney asks.</p><p>“Getting the shuttle flight-ready takes priority,” Spock orders. “Although it would be preferable if you didn’t require all of the phasers.”</p><p>“I’m afraid so, sir.”  </p><p>“Very well then.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Boma and Gaetano pile back into the shuttle. “The natives, they’re closing in on us from all sides.”</p><p>And they’ve just drained the last phaser. Fantastic.</p><p>There’s a thudding sound of something heavy hitting the roof of the shuttle. Probably one of those rocks.</p><p>“We have to kill them!” Boma shouts.</p><p>“As representatives of Starfleet,” Spock intones, “we must not take lives without reason. Mears, where are you with the repairs?”</p><p>“As ready as we’ll ever be, sir.”</p><p>The entire shuttle rocks from one side to the other. </p><p>“I’d say them trying to rip the shuttle in half counts as pretty good reason!” Boma shouts.</p><p>The shuttle rocks again, harder. </p><p>Actually, Leonard is inclined to agree with Boma. And yet. “Watch your tone, specialist. You’re talking to your commanding officer.”</p><p>Boma starts to say something, but for once, Finney does something useful and interrupts, “How do you suppose we’ll kill them, anyway? We don’t have any phasers left.”</p><p>Alright, maybe not that useful.</p><p>“Never mind killing them,” Gaetano says. “They’re climbing all over the shuttle. How are we supposed to lift off like that?”</p><p>Leonard can hear more thuds of rocks hitting the hull. How stable are those things, exactly?</p><p>Spock straightens up in a way that says I have an idea. “Mears, how are those batteries looking?”</p><p>“Charged and ready, sir.”</p><p>“Can you electrify the exterior of the hull and still achieve lift-off?”</p><p>Mears frowns. “It’s possible, sir, but the shuttle is still too heavy to hold orbit. And if we do make orbit, there’ll only be enough fuel for one orbit before life support runs out.”</p><p>What lovely prospects …</p><p>Spock turns to Leonard. “Doctor, are you absolutely certain that the Captain is in orbit above this planet?”</p><p>He doesn’t have to think about the alternative. Can’t think about the alternative. “Yes.”</p><p>“We must take off now. Everyone, stand back from the walls. Electrify them, technician.”</p><p>Mears does something to the controls that makes the air sizzle and the hull vibrate. Outside, the throwing and rocking stops. </p><p>“Lift off before they regain consciousness.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“We’ve reached orbit,” Mears announces.</p><p>Leonard doesn’t know how. He doesn’t think he wants to know. </p><p>“Enterprise, this is the Galileo,” Spock says. “Come in, Enterprise.”</p><p>Still, only static.</p><p>“Mears, fuel status?” Spock asks.</p><p>“Fifteen pound psi, sir. Approximately forty-five minutes.”</p><p>Spock doesn’t ask what happens after that. Leonard doesn’t want to know. But he does know.</p><p>“Great, now what?” Boma asks.</p><p>Spock is staring at the navigation console, then flicks a rather prominent red lever.</p><p>“Commander!” Boma shouts from the pilot’s chair. “What have you done!”</p><p>“I have jettisoned our fuel and ignited it.”</p><p>“Our fuel?” Boma stares.</p><p>“Which will leave two long streaks across this orbit,” Spock explains with all the patience of a kindergarten teacher.</p><p>Long streaks of burning fuel that … should be visible from afar?</p><p>“That is one powerful flare, sir,” Mears acknowledges.</p><p>Even Boma and Finney look stunned. </p><p>“Now all that remains is to hope that the Enterprise is there to see it,” Spock says. “If they do not, there are … exactly six minutes of life support left.”</p><p>“Why, Spock.” Leonard finds himself grinning. “Where did you get this completely illogical idea?”</p><p>“Not illogical in the slightest, Doctor. You said it yourself. We need to get their attention.”</p><p>Still, jettisoning all of their fuel on a wing and a prayer sounds like something Jim would have done. </p><p>“Five minutes, Commander,” Mears announces.</p><p>Possibly the last few moments of Leonard’s life and he spends them being just a little bit proud of Spock.</p><p>“Four minutes.” </p><p>The sound of the transporter locking on saves Mears from doing a countdown. </p><p>It also saves their lives, but, well. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Jim is standing next to Scotty in the transporter room. “Oh, <em>thank God</em>.”  </p><p>“Not all of us have returned safe and sound, Captain,” Spock says. “Specialist Latimer died in the line of duty.”</p><p>“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. The rest of you are alright, though?” Jim looks at Leonard. Purely because he is the CMO, of course.</p><p>“Yes, Captain,” Leonard reports. “Some bumps and bruises. Nothing major.”</p><p>“Well, then let’s get all of you to medbay for a check-up.”</p><p>“Captain?” That’s Finney. “What about the rendezvous at Makus III?”</p><p>“How nice of you to concern yourself, Mr Finney. We’ll make it with time to spare. Won’t even have to go to warp two.”</p><p>“Did the High Commissioner agree, sir?”</p><p>Jim shrugs. “Let’s just say you should let me handle the reports on this one.”</p><p>Which means the High Commissioner threw an almighty fit while Jim appeared to be wasting time looking for them. And Jim did it anyway. Leonard is not surprised.</p><p>But as for Starfleet Command …</p><p>“Medbay, the lot of you!” Jim orders.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>It must be gamma shift already, because the lights in the corridor are dimmed and Dr Victoria Sanchez is the one running their check-ups.</p><p>Krejci is there, too, shuffling from one foot to the other. “Dr McCoy, thank God you’re alright! I’m so sorry, sir! It should have been me on the shuttle!”</p><p>“Nah, that was my call. I’m here in one piece, ain’t I? Now, this isn’t your shift and it’s not an emergency, either, so get the hell out of here!”</p><p>“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.” Krejci stops short of throwing a salute, at least.</p><p>“Ready for your check-up, Doctor?” That’s Aiello, the gamma head nurse.</p><p>“By all means. No symptoms of any kind to report.”</p><p>Across medbay, Jim is grinning and Spock is looking as annoyed as any Vulcan ever has. Leonard guesses Spock must have told Jim the story behind the ‘flare’. Uhura is there, too, hovering next to Spock with a mixture of relief and annoyance. No surprise there, either. </p><p>Aiello checks the biobed read-outs and runs a full tricorder scan on top of that. “Readings confirm 4-0, Doctor. Recommend sleep and rest.”</p><p>“Noted.” </p><p>Jim has moved on to Boma and Gaetano, clamping down on shoulders, probably listening to their distress about losing Latimer. There’ll have to be a memorial. The third one. </p><p>At least, Mears should receive a commendation for getting that shuttle airborne again. Leonard makes a mental note to mention that in his logs, and tell Jim and Scotty personally as well. </p><p>On the next biobed, Finney is being patched up by Sanchez, and not looking happy about it. What kind of injury is that? Frowning, Leonard gets to his feet and makes his way over. “What’s the issue here?”</p><p>“Electrical burn, second degree.” Sanchez points the dermal at Finney’s lower left arm. “Won’t scar.”</p><p>Still frowning, Leonard looks at Finney. “When did that happen?”</p><p>Finney shrugs. “Must’ve been when the Commander electrified the hull.”</p><p>“Right.” If Leonard had a second-degree burn, he’s pretty sure he would remember exactly where he got it. Maybe there’s a head injury after all. But Sanchez can deal with that.</p><p>“Doctor?” That’s Jim standing by his side.</p><p>The urge to reach out and just touch Jim is so sudden and so overwhelming it takes Leonard considerable effort not to. “Captain.”</p><p>“All checked-up, hm?”</p><p>“Yes, Captain.”</p><p>“Okay.” Jim grins at him. Damnit. “I’ll have to go placate the High Commissioner. I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?”</p><p>Which translates to, <em>wait for me in my quarters, will you?</em> “Yes, Captain.”</p><p>Jim is still grinning. “Hope that heals up nicely, Mr Finney. Have a good shift, Dr Sanchez.”</p><p>“Sir,” both of them echo dutifully as Jim saunters off.</p><p>“So, Dr McCoy,” Sanchez says, “what are you still doing in my medbay?”</p><p>Somehow, despite Finney’s scowl, Leonard finds himself grinning, too. “See you at shift change.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Later, in the Captain’s quarters, on the bed, Leonard has to ask, “Just how much trouble are you in?”</p><p>Jim shrugs. “I may have told the commissioner to go fuck himself. Not in those exact words, but, erm, well. So he’s in a bit of a state, but hey, so what. If Starfleet Command really thinks I should have left three of my most senior, most highly trained, and therefore most valuable staff officers stranded in an ionized quasar, just because I <em>might</em> have needed to go to warp two or, God forbid, warp <em>three</em> to make that rendez-vous, then Starfleet Command can also go fuck themselves.”</p><p>“But you <em>are</em> gonna catch hell for this.”</p><p>“Not my first rodeo. Don’t worry about it, Bones. I can handle it.”</p><p>Leonard knows of one or two other instances where Starfleet Command was breathing down Jim’s neck for … <em>creative</em> decision making, but does he know about everything? Just how much hell <em>does</em> Jim catch for protecting the crew day in, day out?</p><p>Suddenly, <em>I can handle it</em> isn’t good enough. “Starfleet Command will probably say you shouldn’t have stopped to investigate the quasar in the first place, right?”</p><p>“Oh, definitely. The High Commissioner has also made that perfectly clear. Several times.” Another shrug. “It’s not like I was endangering lives on New Paris. We’ll be hanging out in orbit above Makus III waiting for the Bradbury as it is.”</p><p>Alright, so Jim’s actions weren’t recklessly irresponsible, just …</p><p>“Hang on a minute. It wasn’t even your idea. It was Finney’s.”</p><p>“Hm? Oh yeah, now that you mention it. Makes no difference, though. I’m the Captain, it’s my call and my responsibility in the end.”</p><p>But still, that nagging feeling in the back of Leonard’s mind … “What’s his deal, anyway? Finney, I mean. There’s somethin’ <em>off</em> about that guy.”</p><p>Jim looks away. “You remember that training mission I did with Engineering back at the Academy?”</p><p>Slowly, it comes back to Leonard. “He was the guy who left some circuit open?”</p><p>“The circuit to the atomic matter piles, to be precise.”</p><p>“Ouch.”</p><p>“Yeah. He nearly killed everyone. There were several eyewitnesses and he was being an asshole about it. I had to report it. He got suspended. Reinstated, after Nero, but, well … He’s not exactly first in line to get his own ship, is he?”</p><p>“How the hell did he end up on <em>your</em> ship?”</p><p>“Oh, I’m told he fought the assignment tooth and nail, but Starfleet is still so short-staffed he wasn’t given much choice, and neither was I. Apparently, this assignment is the only reason they promoted him to lieutenant commander.”</p><p>Just another page in the Starfleet recipe book for disaster, then.</p><p>“Right. Just … be careful around that guy, yeah?”</p><p>“Oh, you know me.” Jim grins. “I’m always careful.”</p><p>Leonard throws a pillow at Jim, who catches it, laughing. </p><p>“Alright, Bones. I believe your nurse prescribed rest? Wouldn’t want to cross her, would you? Or Dr Sanchez? Bet she throws a mean left hook.”</p><p>“You don’t know the half of it.”</p><p>“Come here, then.”</p><p>Leonard does. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>When the alarm chimes at 0700 hours, it feels like he’s barely slept at all.</p><p> </p><p>###</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Finney's backstory with Kirk is adapted from the episode Court Martial. In TOS, Scotty is aboard and fixes the shuttlecraft. Kirk does abandon the search, but has the Enterprise crawl out of the system on impulse power. The stuff with the aliens is more extensive, too. The question of whether Kirk should have stopped to investigate the quasar in the first place remains, as well as the fact that the Enterprise can go significantly faster than the warp factor one they engage at the end of the TOS episode.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Conscience of the King, Part I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: Tarsus IV. Also contains mentions of child abuse and suicide (in reference to the first reboot movie).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Bones?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>It’s late. Leonard has spent all of alpha and beta shift almost failing to contain the spread of some space-augmented flu among the shuttlebay crew. So if Jim stops kissing him for something now, it’d better be <em>important</em>.</p><p>“Do you like Shakespeare?”</p><p>“What.”</p><p>“Uh …” Jim looks away.</p><p>Leonard realizes, with chilling clarity, that this <em>is</em> important.</p><p>“It’s just,” Jim is explaining, “Tom Leighton, you know, the scientist who requested our assistance, he’s an old friend of mine and he invited me to a theater performance when we arrive tomorrow afternoon, and I was just wondering maybe you’d want to come with me?”</p><p>Right.</p><p>The Enterprise is en route to Cygnia Minor because noted scientist Dr Thomas Leighton has requested their assistance in testing a new synthetic food that could resolve the food shortages in a nearby colony. Like anything to do with food, the whole assignment has put Jim on edge, but … </p><p>Never, in all of the past six years, has Jim mentioned <em>an old friend of mine</em>. Not a single one.</p><p>The thing is, Leonard hasn’t asked. </p><p>He’s aware that there is stuff about Jim’s past that he doesn’t know. Stuff that goes beyond <em>my father died saving my life</em>, stuff that has to do with food and starvation and Kevin Riley.</p><p>So he’s been wondering, of course he has, but he has never <em>asked</em>. He’s always figured that if he needed to know, Jim would tell him.</p><p>Leonard notices that he’s holding his breath, so he exhales. But he doesn’t ask. He waits.</p><p>“I, uhm … I think I need to sit down.” Jim staggers over to the bed and collapses onto it. “There’s, erm … There’s some things I need to tell you about. I mean, I shouldn’t. That shit is buried under non-disclosure agreements so deep that even what I’ve said just now would be enough to see you dishonorably discharged if they ever found out I said it.”</p><p>Leonard is starting to feel light-headed. He sits down next to Jim before it gets worse.</p><p>It will get worse.</p><p>He only manages, “They.”</p><p>“Section 31. I mean, I guess. I didn’t know, back then. But looking back now, I bet it was. Uhm. So this stuff is … kinda bad. If you don’t want —”</p><p>“Tell me,” Leonard interrupts. </p><p>Jim’s shoulders are trembling, so Leonard puts his hand on Jim’s back in a soothing motion. Jim all but collapses against him. Alright. Leonard slips his hand up into Jim’s hair and strokes lightly. </p><p>“I, uhm, I don’t even know how to tell you. I’ve never told anyone. Wasn’t allowed to, and besides, I’ve never really had … anyway. Look, just let me try and say this, yeah? Don’t interrupt.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>“So …” Jim tells Leonard’s chest. “When I was a kid, my mom was off planet a lot, so my brother and I were living with my uncle in Iowa …”</p><p>Leonard doesn’t ask, <em>you have a brother?</em></p><p>“… and my uncle could get a bit … well, he would get angry. I mean, I was pretty out of control as a child, so I guess it’s understandable …”</p><p>He doesn’t ask, <em>did your uncle hurt you?</em></p><p>“So Sam, my brother, he ran off to live with our grandparents, and I didn’t deal with that so well, so what made sense to my kid brain was that I took my dad’s old Corvette, genuine antique, and I drove it off a cliff.”</p><p>
  <em>Did you want to die?</em>
</p><p>“My uncle was furious. Flat-out refused to take me back under his roof. My mom refused to cut short her deep space assignment. So they sent me off-world to live with some distant relatives … on Tarsus IV.”</p><p>Jim pauses, like that’s supposed to ring a bell. It doesn’t. Maybe it would have, without the non-disclosure agreements, without Section 31. Maybe in another life. Another timeline.</p><p>“Actually …” Jim chuckles. It sounds hollow. “In the beginning, I was excited. Hell, I got to be away from my uncle, from Iowa, from Earth. I got to go into <em>space</em>. On the shuttle, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. But I don’t remember much from what happened on Tarsus IV before it all went south. Actually, no. I do remember one thing. I was pretty small for my age, thirteen years old, I think, so my aunt kept telling me I should eat more, and every time she did, my uncle would give her this <em>look</em> … You know the way children can just <em>tell</em> something is wrong? They don’t know what or how or why, but they <em>know</em>. I knew something was happening on the planet. I just didn’t understand it. Not yet.”</p><p>Jim falls silent. Leonard doesn’t ask. He just continues to stroke Jim’s hair in a futile attempt to calm both Jim and himself. He has an idea of where this is going. He also has an idea that it’s going to be much worse than he is imagining.</p><p>“Well …” Jim sighs. “Alright, here goes nothing. Some genius in the Federation planned the food supply for the colony to rely on a single crop. Easier to cultivate and what not. At least, that’s what my uncle said, before …  Anyway, things did not work out. There was a blight, some kind of fungus, and it wiped it all of that super crop overnight. Supplies ran low pretty fast. The governor’s officials said they’d called Starfleet for help, but looking back now, I’m not sure they did. And so the governor of Tarsus IV, Kodos, gave a grand speech about how everyone is supposed to make sacrifices for the greater good. I remember looking around and it was about half the colonists there. A lot of elderly people. Usually, Kodos would never show his face to anyone but his guards. He gave orders by distance. So to see him there, out in the open, I knew something was <em>really</em> wrong. And then Kodos was saying about how only those who were good enough had been chosen to survive. Those who were not good enough had to die so that the others might live. And we … Kodos said we weren’t good enough.”</p><p>Leonard can’t help the flinch. What in the name of all that is holy …?</p><p>“Next, he took a few of us children aside and told us, we were the unruly and misbehaved, but he’d be merciful and give us a second chance to prove we were good enough. Because we were so young, you see. He had faith that we would be good enough eventually.”</p><p><em>Good enough</em>. Why does that ring a bell … <em>I guess one of me is going to have to be good enough</em>, Jim had said, when Leonard had been making silly jokes about threesomes, after that transporter incident …</p><p>“And …”  Jim’s voice breaks. “Fuck. I haven’t thought about this in a long time. Anyway. And then he ordered the rest of the four thousand people killed. Right then and there. The guards, they just … opened fire on them. Do you know how long it takes to shoot four thousand people?”</p><p>That … That is <em>so much worse</em>. Four thousand people. Leonard’s mind boggles at the number. And to imagine a young Jim standing there, watching … </p><p>“When they were done,” Jim goes on, tonelessly now, “Kodos took us away to the palace, I mean, the Federation headquarters, we just called it the palace. From then on, if we put one toe out of line, we’d join the rest of those that weren’t … good enough.”</p><p>So Leonard’s little joke about threesomes triggered memories of Tarsus in Jim’s mind, where not being good enough meant you had to <em>die</em>? Oh, Lord. It was a <em>joke</em>, how was Leonard supposed to <em>know</em>? How many <em>other</em> times has he …?</p><p>But no. Leonard forces himself to breathe. He can’t make this about himself.</p><p>“One of the guys, Chris, he wouldn’t listen,” Jim is explaining. “They took him away. We never saw him again. And Kevin, you know, Kevin Riley, he was there, too. His parents, though … they were dead. Not good enough. And Kevin … he had a hard time of it. I tried to help him. Make sure he’d be good enough, at least. There were twenty of us. Nineteen after Chris. When Starfleet finally noticed something was off and sent help, there were nine of us left. Starfleet got us out of the palace. There were more dead bodies, of the guards. They hadn’t surrendered. And Kodos, he was dead, too. Set himself on fire, apparently. I didn’t see that.” </p><p>Jim pauses for breath, then adds, “Starfleet were <em>very</em> nice to me when they learned my name. But Starfleet hushed it up, the entire thing. That’s why I think Section 31 was involved. Made Kodos out to be a bad egg, a maniac who’d read too many books about the Eugenic Wars. It was damn efficient. My aunt and uncle survived, they signed the non-disclosure agreements, took the compensation package and went on their way to another colony. Most survivors did. People just wanted to forget. I know I did. I spent the shuttle ride with the osteo-regenerator and other medical stuff I didn’t understand and when I got back to Earth, no one asked. Not even my mother. I’m not sure they told her what happened. Which is kinda unethical, come to think about it, making minors sign non-disclosure agreements without a parent or guardian present. Or maybe my mother did know. Not sure which would be worse.”</p><p>Jim laughs, without humor. Leonard’s hand tightens in Jim’s hair. He doesn’t say anything.</p><p>After another pause, Jim goes on, “I don’t really think about it, you know. When people say I’m a bit fucked up in the head, I can always blame my dead father, and sure, that’s a big part of it, but Tarsus IV, that was … Anyway. I think I covered the basics here. You can say something now. You don’t have to, though. It’s just … I’ll tell you how this relates to Shakespeare in a moment, but I just wanted … I needed you to know. That’s it.”</p><p>That’s it. Simple as that. Scar tissue.</p><p>Leonard can say something now. He must. But he only knows one thing in that spinning head of his, and that one thing is, “I love you.”</p><p>There’s a muffled sob against his chest.</p><p>“I love you,” Leonard repeats. “No matter what, remember?”</p><p>Jim looks up at him with those impossible blue eyes. “I love you, too.”</p><p>“Now.” Leonard wipes a thumb across Jim’s cheek, and if it comes away wet, he won’t mention it. “Shakespeare?”</p><p>“Well, Tom was another kid from Tarsus IV. And … something’s wrong. I mean, Tom is a scientist doing research on synthetic food, so it’s a genuine enough request, but … there’s something else. Something he didn’t dare put through the official channels. I <em>know</em> there is.”</p><p>“Alright,” Leonard says. “I’ll come to the theater with you.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Dr Thomas Leighton shakes Jim’s hand like that’s how you find salvation. </p><p>“Look at you, Jimmy. All grown up!”</p><p>Half of Leighton’s face is covered with a black mask that indicates major scar tissue beneath.</p><p>“Tom. It’s good to see you.”</p><p>If Leighton wants those scars there, it might be pathological. But then, no one who’s gone through what Jim described about Tarsus IV could be expected to emerge on the other side completely sane. </p><p>Jim clamps a hand on Leonard’s shoulder. “Tom, meet my Chief Medical Officer, Dr McCoy. A fellow appreciator of Shakespeare.”</p><p>“What a pleasure.” Leighton’s handshake is firm.</p><p>“The pleasure is all mine,” Leonard says.</p><p>“Now, if you kindly follow me …”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The play turns out to be <em>the Scottish play</em>. The one whose name the actors don’t speak. Just in case the whole thing wasn’t ominous enough.</p><p>Next to Leonard, Jim can’t seem to be able to sit still.</p><p>On Jim’s other side, Leighton whispers something, too low for Leonard to make out.</p><p>“That’s <em>impossible</em>,” Jim hisses.</p><p>Nope, definitely not ominous at all.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>People are applauding, so the play must be over. Dazed, Leonard claps his hands, too.</p><p>“Would you care to join me for a drink?” Leighton asks.</p><p>Jim bounces off the seat, still tense and restless. “Sure. We’d love to! Coming, Doctor?”</p><p>Leighton frowns at Leonard, but ushers them both out of the theater anyway.</p><p>Maybe the play has only just begun.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Leighton lives in a kind of mansion that reminds Leonard of the South.</p><p>The door has barely closed behind them when Jim says, “It’s not possible.”</p><p>Leighton frowns at Leonard again.</p><p>“You can speak freely,” Jim says.</p><p>“You <em>told</em> him?”</p><p>Jim shrugs, then nods towards a woman leaning in a doorway. “Hi Martha.” Looking back to Leighton, Jim adds, “You told your wife.”</p><p>“Ah.” Leighton stares at Leonard, but recovers quickly. “Very well. I’ll repeat myself, for the sake of your Doctor. It’s the actor. Karidian. The one who played Macbeth. It’s Kodos.”</p><p>Kodos, the governor of Tarsus IV?</p><p>“It’s not possible!” Jim is wavering. “He’s <em>dead</em>. He <em>has</em> to be.”</p><p>“A burned body without ID! What if he’s <em>not</em> dead?”</p><p>Oh, Lord.</p><p>Leighton continues, “I know it’s been years and there’s no pictures of the bastard thanks to that blasted cover-up, but it’s him. You <em>know</em> it’s him. You have to —”</p><p>“No!” Jim is already reaching for the communicator. “You’re wrong. Your mind is playing tricks on you. And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my ship. I really hope Science approves of your synthetic food, otherwise I’ll have a hard time making excuses for you in my log. Consider that my gesture of goodwill.”</p><p>“I’m throwing a party for the actors this evening,” Leighton says, undeterred. “He’ll be there. Him and his daughter. You should come, too.”</p><p>“Kirk to Enterprise,” Jim snaps at the communicator.</p><p>“Enterprise here, sir.” </p><p>“Mr Scott! Two to beam up, these coordinates!”</p><p>“Aye, aye, Captain. Locking on to your signal now.”</p><p>“You <em>owe</em> it to them to make sure!” Leighton shouts over the whirl of the transporter. “You owe it to the dead! All four thousand of them!”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>“Captain, Doctor!” Scotty grins at them. “How was the performance?”</p><p>Jim stalks off the pad and out of the transporter room without even looking at Scotty.</p><p>“Captain?”</p><p>“Rivetin’,” Leonard says. </p><p>“Is the Captain —”</p><p>“Fine. He’s fine. Still captivated by the, erm, performance. Excuse me …”</p><p>Out on the corridor, Jim is already gone.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>He finds Jim in the Captain’s quarters, dry-heaving into the toilet.</p><p>Leonard doesn’t need to ask whether it’s Kodos or not. </p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>,” Jim mutters into the bowl. “Fuck.”</p><p>There’s really only one thing Leonard needs to ask. “What do we do?”</p><p>What he means is, <em>I can think of a dozen different ways to kill someone without leaving a trace</em>.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Jim rasps. “I thought Kodos was dead. He’s <em>supposed</em> to be dead!”</p><p>“He could be.”</p><p>What he means is, <em>I won’t even have to help you hide the body, ‘cause when I’m done, there won’t</em> be <em>a body</em>.</p><p>Jim sits back and frowns at him. “What are you saying?”</p><p>Leonard has killed people before. In self-defense or, in the case of his dad, because they begged him. He hasn’t exactly made his peace with that, and yet, he finds himself wondering. Whether he could kill someone like this, straight-up <em>murder</em> them, pre-meditated, in cold blood. He isn’t sure whether he could. But he knows that he <em>would</em>. For Jim, he …</p><p>He’s scaring himself again.</p><p>“I’m askin’,” he tells Jim. “What do we do?”</p><p>“I don’t know! How is he alive? How did he get off Tarsus IV? What has he been doing these past fifteen years? Kodos did have this strange obsession with Shakespeare, true, but <em>this</em>?” Jim heaves a frustrated sigh. “Maybe Tom just dragged me into his paranoia and my mind is playing tricks on me now. Maybe it’s not Kodos after all.”</p><p>Maybe it isn’t. Leonard hopes to <em>God</em> it isn’t. </p><p>But Jim’s visceral reaction tells its own story.</p><p>How would they prove it? With that ‘blasted cover up’? It’s not like they can just pull a few files. </p><p>“You tell me, Bones,” Jim is saying. “What am I supposed to do? Waltz in there with a flaming sword to avenge the dead like we’re in Hamlet or what?”</p><p>“Hell, I don’t know. But I think we should make sure. Whether it’s him. Because if it is … there’s a good chance he recognized you as well.” Jim flinches. “And if you’re one of the, what, nine people left alive who could maybe ID him … you might be in danger. You and Leighton. And Riley.”</p><p>“You’re right.” Jim takes a deep breath. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but we’re not going to find out from inside our bathroom. So let’s go to the party.”</p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p><em>Our</em> bathroom, is it? </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Later, in the turbolift on their way back to the transporter room, Leonard says, “I sure hope you don’t end up like Hamlet.”</p><p>Jim frowns. “Killing the guy?”</p><p>“Dead.”</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>The house is brimming with people when they arrive fashionably late, most of them actors from the company, but Mr Karidian is nowhere in sight. Nor is Leighton.</p><p>“Hey, Martha?” Jim catches the arm of their hostess, Leighton’s wife. “Where’s Tom?”</p><p>“Oh, he had to run some errands. He’ll be here shortly, I’m sure. Make yourselves right at home.”</p><p>Martha rushes off to talk to some other guests, as if Jim’s presence means bad luck.</p><p>On the other side of the room, there’s some commotion as a rather beautiful woman enters. Another one of the actors.</p><p>“That must be his daughter,” Jim whispers. “I mean, I think? She was, what, four years old at the time? But Tom says it’s her.”</p><p>“Then why don’t you get over there and find out where he is?”</p><p>Jim frowns. “What do you mean?”</p><p><em>No matter what</em>. Leonard nudges Jim towards the door. “Go work your magic, Captain.”</p><p>Jim goes.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>At the bar, the actor who played Duncan is saying, “Who do I have to kill around here for some booze?”</p><p>The girl behind the bar looks unsure as to whether that was a joke.</p><p>Leonard says, “Kill for that bourbon? You kiddin’ me? Waste of an effort.”</p><p>Duncan turns around, grinning. “A man of taste in Starfleet! Do wonders never cease?”</p><p>“Well, you’re performin’ Shakepeare on a planet lightyears from Stratford-upon-Avon, so who knows.”</p><p>Duncan laughs again. “Good point. Did you see the play today?”</p><p>“I did. Might even have enjoyed it.” </p><p>“Cheers.”</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Leonard can see Jim giving young Miss Karidian the whole <em>Jim Kirk intends to get laid tonight</em> routine, all magnetic sunshine, laughing like <em>aren’t you the funniest person I’ve ever met</em>. </p><p>What he can’t see is Mr Karidian. Or Leighton.</p><p>“I was particularly, uh, captivated, by your leader,” Leonard says. “I was hopin’ to catch him here, actually.”</p><p>Duncan shrugs. “Well in that case you’re out of luck. Karidian doesn’t do mingling. Or autographs. Or anything, other than acting. Blame the whole genius-and-madness thing. I think he’d forget to eat if his daughter didn’t remind him to do it at least every once in a while.”</p><p>Damn. Jim better get somewhere with that girl.</p><p>“A shame, still.” Leonard pauses, considering. “Have you known him for a long time, then?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, I’ve been with the company pretty much from the beginning, that’s been, oh, fifteen years or so?”</p><p>Which would fit with the Tarsus IV timeframe. <em>Damn</em>.</p><p>“And you’ve been exclusively devoted to Shakespeare all this time?”</p><p>“Hell yeah.” Duncan grins again, then spots someone on the far side of the room. “Excuse me for a moment …”</p><p>“Sure.” </p><p>Now, to ask someone else from the company, or …</p><p>“Dr McCoy?”</p><p>Leonard nearly jumps out of his skin, but it’s only Martha, standing next to him with a tray of canapés. “He’s a strange man, your Captain.”</p><p>Speaking of which, across the room Miss Karidian has reached the accidental-arm-touching phase of the Jim Kirk routine.</p><p>“I seem to have misread him, though,” Martha is saying. </p><p>Leonard turns back to his hostess and helps himself to a disturbingly purple canapé. It tastes like cucumber. He doesn’t really care about Martha’s opinion, but … “Misread him how?”</p><p>As if on cue, Jim strides across the room towards them, still grinning like an idiot. “Martha! What a lovely party. I’m afraid I’ll have to steal Miss Karidian away for a little while. She craves some fresh air and who am I to refuse her?”</p><p>“Of course,” Martha says pointedly.</p><p>“Tell Tom I’m sorry to have missed him.” Jim glances at Leonard for the briefest of moments. “Later, Bones.”</p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p>Leonard watches Jim saunter off, arm draped around Miss Karidian’s shoulders. It occurs to him, belatedly, that he hates this. Not the fact that Jim is chatting up some girl, but the fact that they live in a world where that is a valid information gathering technique. Can he blame Section 31? </p><p>“I thought he’d finally begun to settle down.”</p><p>Leonard flinches. He’s forgotten about Martha again. “Jim’s a Starfleet Captain. Pretty sure settlin’ down is not part of the job description.”</p><p>“That’s not the kind of settling down I meant.”</p><p>What the hell gives Martha the right …? Leonard exhales. He can’t offend his hostess, after all. </p><p>“Pardon me, ma’am, but I fail to see how that is any of your business.”</p><p>Martha shrugs. “He’s Tom’s friend. An unreliable friend we haven’t heard from in years, granted, but a friend nevertheless. After everything … Tom would be pleased to know your Captain is happy now.”</p><p>Leonard doesn’t want to answer that question. Worse, he doesn’t know whether he <em>can</em> answer that question. Is Jim <em>happy</em>?</p><p>His communicator chime saves him. “This is McCoy.”</p><p>“Bones.”</p><p>Leonard sucks in a breath. Jim’s voice is poised on an edge so sharp there’s got to be something very, very wrong.</p><p>“Yeah,” he manages.</p><p>“I need you to get a to these coordinates. Right now. Alone.”</p><p>“Be right there.” Leonard flicks the communicator shut and nods at Martha. “I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me, too, ma’am.”</p><p>He’s well aware of how this looks from the outside, so the sheer pity in Martha’s eyes doesn’t sting. Much. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>At least this answers the question as to where Leighton was.</p><p>Miss Karidian is leaning against one of the omnipresent rocks, sobbing quietly. Jim is standing over Leighton, arms folded. </p><p>Leonard kneels down and feels for the pulse, but his fingers only touch cold skin. </p><p>“He’s dead,” he states, for the record, even if this one isn’t going in his log. At least there is that.</p><p>“How?” Jim asks, a dangerous whisper.</p><p>“Well, there’s no injury that I can see, which still leaves any number of possible causes. I’d need to take him to medlab to make sure.”</p><p>“How long?”</p><p>“A few hours. Not long after we left, probably. Again, medlab could pinpoint a timeframe with more accuracy.”</p><p>Jim nods. “We’ll have to take him to the ship, then. Take a blood sample right now, I mean, you do have a hypo, right?”</p><p>Before Leonard can, because <em>of course</em> he does have a hypo on his person, Martha storms onto the scene. “Oh my God!”</p><p>Leonard looks at Jim, who’s frowning. </p><p>To the side, Miss Karidian straightens up, eyes still wet, communicator in hand. “I’m so sorry, Mrs Leighton.”</p><p>“Leave him,” Martha says. “Leave us.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Jim says, “I’m so sorry. We’ll find out what happened here. The Enterprise has the best medical —”</p><p>“No.” Martha pushes Leonard out of the way and kneels down next to Leighton. “All I need to know is that he’s at peace, now. He’s never had that before.”</p><p>Jim flinches, but doesn’t protest.</p><p>“Go back to your stars, Captain,” Martha says.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Jim repeats, then turns to Miss Karidian. “And I’m sorry to you to.” Next, the communicator, “Kirk to transporter room. Two to beam up.”</p><p>“Aye, sir.”</p><p>Over the transporter whirl, Leonard finally manages, “I’m sorry for your loss.”  He thinks, <em>I know what you’re feeling right now. And if all you want for Leighton is peace, I can understand that, too</em>. </p><p>By then, the transporter has whisked them away.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Back aboard the Enterprise, they head straight for the Captain’s quarters.</p><p>“Give me a moment.” Jim nods towards the bathroom. “I reek of perfume.”</p><p>“I don’t care,” Leonard manages.</p><p>“Well, I do.”</p><p>“Let me help, then.”</p><p>The intercom whistles. “Bridge to Captain Kirk,” Spock intones.</p><p>“Kirk here.”</p><p>“We have had no contact from Dr Leighton’s lab regarding the synthetic food. What are your orders, Captain?”</p><p>“Dr Leighton has died unexpectedly. We’ll … maintain standard orbit until further notice. Kirk out.”</p><p>Jim switches off the intercom and remains standing there, braced against the wall, shoulders trembling.</p><p>Leonard hesitates, but this time he does ask, “Jim?”</p><p>“Fuck this. I’m taking a shower. You still wanna help?”</p><p>Jim drags him along into the bathroom and beneath the shower, a <em>real</em> shower, and Leonard’s waterproof uniform soaks through in seconds, but Jim is kissing him, so that’s that.</p><p>“Bones, I have to —”</p><p>“Hey.” Leonard brushes wet hair off Jim’s face. “At least let me get out of this uniform before we plan to take down another mass murderer, okay?”</p><p>Somehow, Jim starts to laugh. </p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>Freshly showered, and in dry clothes once more, they sit down on the sofa in the Captain’s quarters.</p><p>“Alright,” Leonard says after a deep gulp of coffee. “Let’s compare notes on the party. I talked to one of the actors, he said Karidian never mingles, doesn’t even do autographs, some genius-and-madness bullshit. The guy says he’s been with Karidian ever since he started the company, which was apparently about fifteen years ago. Which would fit with the Tarsus timeframe. Still, it could be a coincidence.”</p><p>Jim nods. “Lenore told me the same about her father being a bit of a recluse apart from going on stage.”</p><p>“Lenore as in <em>The Raven</em>?” Leonard shakes his head. If only it were the wind and nothing more …</p><p>“She also said she was born on some planet far away and all the life she can remember she’s been travelling with the company. She’s nineteen, apparently. Which also fits the timeline.”</p><p>“Could still be a coincidence.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Jim stares into the coffee as if it holds all the answers in the universe. “She creeps me out, though. This entire fucking thing creeps me out. And now Tom is dead and we don’t know how. I mean. Is <em>that</em> a coincidence, too? Just how many coincidences can there be?” Jim looks up. “Alright. Let’s start at the end. Tom’s dead. Could it have been natural causes?”</p><p>Leonard shrugs. “I suppose it could have been a heart attack.”</p><p>“But let’s assume it wasn’t. Let’s assume the worst case.”</p><p>“Suicide?”</p><p>Jim stares. “I was going to say, someone murdered him.”</p><p>“Alright, let’s assume. Where’s your murderer, your MO, and your motive?”</p><p>“Kodos. Probably poison.” Jim gulps down more coffee. “It’s got to be. Kodos wasn’t at the party and Tom was on to him. That’s your motive.”</p><p>“Possible,” Leonard concedes. He doesn’t want it to be true. Because if it is true that Karidian murdered Tom, then Karidian is Kodos and Jim is next. “Still, we don’t know. So what do we do?”</p><p>“Lenore said they’re due to travel on tomorrow, on Daley’s ship. I think their travel arrangements might have to be changed suddenly.”</p><p>“You want the company to travel on the Enterprise?”</p><p>He stops himself from adding his usual <em>are you insane</em>, because, in keeping with the hard facts, Jim is. Which makes Jim unfit for command, but Leonard chooses to ignore that.</p><p>“We need to keep an eye on them,” Jim is saying. “Until we know for sure. We also need a secure channel. So secure even Section 31 won’t crack it.”</p><p>They look at each other. That means involving Uhura and, by association, Spock.</p><p>“Your call,” Leonard says.</p><p>Jim reaches for the intercom. “Kirk to Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura, report to my quarters.”</p><p>“And Riley?” Leonard asks, quietly.</p><p>Jim flinches, then reaches for the intercom again. “Kirk to Scott.”</p><p>“Scotty here, Captain!”</p><p>“I was just thinking, this engineering study you mentioned about running during gamma shift, it would take a few days, right?”</p><p>“Aye, sir.”</p><p>“I want you to go ahead with it and I want Riley to supervise.”</p><p>“Sir?”</p><p>“Just do it! And do it now. Kirk out.”</p><p>Leonard raises an eyebrow. “You’re reassignin’ Riley to gamma without explanation? He’s gonna take that as a demotion.”</p><p>“I’m protecting him.”</p><p>Jim is spared from elaborating by the door chime.</p><p>“Enter.”</p><p>It’s Spock and Uhura, of course, looking worried and confused in equal measure. Uhura, that is. </p><p>“Come in, please. Take a seat.” Jim looks unsure, too, probably hasn’t thought through what to actually tell them - and what not.</p><p>Spock and Uhura sit down.</p><p>“Alright.” Jim looks at Leonard, who can only nod, then back to Spock and Uhura. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room, and I’m breaching some serious NDAs to tell you. If you don’t want to know, you can leave right now. I won’t hold it against you.”</p><p>Needless to say, Spock and Uhura stay put.</p><p>Jim takes a deep breath. “We have reason to believe that the leader of the acting company currently on the planet below is a former governor of an Earth colony that was stuck by a famine fifteen years ago. In reaction to that famine, this governor, then called Kodos, gave the order to kill half of the colony’s inhabitants. That’s four thousand people.”</p><p>A gasp from Uhura. Nothing from Spock.</p><p>Jim continues. “You don’t know about this because Starfleet covered it up. Probably Section 31. I know about this because I was there.”</p><p>Now, even something in Spock’s face twitches.</p><p>“We furthermore have reason to believe that the death of scientist Dr Thomas Leighton just now is related, because Tom was one of only nine people who made it off the planet who ever saw the governor’s face. Another one is Kevin Riley. And … another one is me.”</p><p>Spock recovers first. “Can the identity of this governor be ascertained?”</p><p>Jim’s face clouds over. “There’s no pictures or files or anything on the governor Kodos. For all intents and purposes, there never was a colony on Tarsus IV. And if we look up anything related, it’ll probably set off Section 31. But Tom was sure. And I … Yeah. I can’t completely rule out that my mind is playing tricks on me, but that voice …” Jim shudders.</p><p>Leonard wants to touch him, but doesn’t. He just sits by Jim’s side.</p><p>“What do you need us to do?” Uhura asks.</p><p>Jim looks over to Leonard again. </p><p>Leonard looks back in a way he hopes conveys go for it, <em>I got your back</em>.</p><p>“Well,” Jim says, “I can’t let that guy out of my sight until I know for sure one way or the other. And whether he murdered Leighton. The actors are supposed to travel tomorrow via Daley’s ship and I suppose I could ask Daley to unfortunately not make that pick-up. I’d need a secure channel for that. So secure even Section 31 won’t crack it.”</p><p>Spock arches that eyebrow. “Forgive me, Captain, but I was under the impression that Section 31 was disbanded after the … unfortunate events involving Admiral Marcus.”</p><p>“Damn it, man,” Leonard says before Jim can reply. “That might have been the party line, but you’re always the one who likes to throw humanity’s less savory history in our faces. Considerin’ that history, where do you think Section 31 is now?”</p><p>That eyebrow, impressively, rises even higher. “Considering your history, I believe the vernacular expression would be, ‘alive and kicking.’”</p><p>“So.” Jim looks at Uhura. “Secure channel?”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Uhura replies. “I mean, I can get on setting up some equipment with end-to-end encryption, but we can’t get one of those to Daley. And if I scramble the channel, it would still go via a Starfleet frequency and a message scrambled for no good reason might attract more attention than open subspace. Especially if we think Section 31 are watching.”</p><p>“So we need a plausible cover story,” Jim says.</p><p>“That should be simple enough.” The others turn to Leonard. He rolls his eyes and continues, “You can always say a performance aboard the Enterprise would be a nice reward for your hardworkin’ crew. And if Starfleet don’t buy that, most of the actin’ party saw you flirtin’ with his daughter anyway. If pushed, you could always just say you liked the girl and thought it would be a romantic gesture. Starfleet Command will throw a fit, but when are they ever not?”</p><p>Spock and Uhura exchange a glance that carries a whole encrypted conversation back and forth. Leonard wonders whether he and Jim look like that from outside, too. </p><p>“Well, it’d be <em>plausible</em>, wouldn’t it?” he grumbles.</p><p>Spock and Uhura turn to Jim, who … nods. “Yeah,” Jim says, slowly. “It would.” </p><p>Thankfully, for once, Spock just rolls with it. “And our reason for staying in orbit for the time being?”</p><p>“Contact Tom’s lab,” Jim says. “They really were working on synthetic food, it’s still gotta be tested and all that. Put gamma shift on it. That’s as good an excuse as any. And Uhura - do get to work on that equipment you mentioned that would go unnoticed by Starfleet. Just … just in case we need it someday. Needless to say, this is off the books. All of this.”</p><p>Spock and Uhura <em>yessir</em> Jim anyway.</p><p> </p><p>#</p><p> </p><p>So Spock goes off to investigate synthetic food, Uhura goes off to work on encryption, Jim calls in a favor with Daley and Leonard … Leonard kind of just sits on the bed.</p><p>“Thanks. I really appreciate that. Kirk out.” Jim drops the communicator on the bedside table and looks at Leonard. “You sure about this?”</p><p>“Which part?”</p><p>“The Lenore part. Duh. Simple charm might not be enough.”</p><p>Leonard shrugs. “It’s you who has to be sure about that. Me, I don’t care. I’m just sure it’s late. So let’s just go to bed. There’s nothing we can do right now anyway.”</p><p>Jim hesitates, then nods. “Okay.”</p><p>Tomorrow is going to be an … interesting day.</p><p> </p><p>###</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In TOS, Kirk doesn’t know Riley was on Tarsus IV until he checks a list of survivors. Because there are records in TOS, including pictures (!) of Kodos.</p><p>Part Two will be up soon :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Conscience of the King, Part II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CN: Medical procedures. Tarsus IV, continued.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alpha briefing sees them still in orbit above Cygnia Minor. Spock is just finishing the report on that new wonder food when the intercom whistles. </p>
<p>“Transporter room to bridge.”</p>
<p>“Kirk here.”</p>
<p>“A Miss Karidian would like to beam aboard, sir.”</p>
<p>Jim’s face lights up. It looks almost real. “Why, yes, send her right up! Have someone escort her straight to the bridge, will you?”</p>
<p>Around them, people are frowning. They’ve no doubt hoped they’d left that version of the Captain behind after Khan. Some even look at Leonard, who opts to roll his eyes in customary exasperation. </p>
<p>The doors of the turbolift open and in strolls Miss Lenore Karidian in a glittery and rather short dress. “Oh Captain Kirk. How kind of you to receive me!”</p>
<p>Jim swirls towards the door in the Captain’s chair. “To what do I owe the great pleasure of your visit?”</p>
<p>“Oh, Captain! We find ourselves in the most dire of circumstances! Captain Daley was supposed to bring us to our next stop, but he has had to pull away from Cygnia Minor unexpectedly. However, our itinerary, you must understand, is a well-oiled machine, Captain. If we delay once, the whole thing simply collapses! We <em>must</em> get off Cygnia Minor today! And yours is the only starship in orbit at the moment.”</p>
<p>“Oh, who knows, maybe I arranged this?” Jim grins. “Either way, I don’t see how I could leave you and your most excellent company stranded here!”</p>
<p>“Oh Captain,” Miss Karidian breathes, like it’s a dramatic soliloquy, “however can we repay you for this most gracious favor?”</p>
<p>Shakespeare must be rolling in the grave, light years away on Earth.</p>
<p>“How about …” Jim pretends to give it some serious thought. “I have an idea. You give a special performance for the crew, and we will consider that a win-win scenario, eh? Where are you headed again?”</p>
<p>“The Benicia colony.”</p>
<p>“Why, that’s just on our way!”</p>
<p>Judging from the way Chekov does a double take and Finney’s frown deepens, it’s <em>not</em> on their way, not by a long shot. Good. That should add to the entire <em>oh, that’s just Kirk being irresponsible because of a girl, isn’t that adorable</em> vibe. At least, the usual suspects in Starfleet know they can’t court-martial Jim for something as trivial as that. Not Jim Kirk, certified hero, <em>saved Earth twice over, that kind of hero</em>. But Leonard isn’t so sure what Section 31 will make of all this. He’s just sure they’re watching. Somehow. </p>
<p>“Navigation,” Jim says brightly. “Lay in a course for the Benicia colony.”</p>
<p>“A—aye, sir.” Chekov scrambles to operate the controls. </p>
<p>“Kirk to transporter room.”</p>
<p>“Wilson here, Captain.”</p>
<p>“Beam up the rest of the acting company. Helm, as soon as transporter room is done, ahead to Benicia colony, warp factor one.”</p>
<p>“Aye, sir.” Sulu is also frowning.</p>
<p>“Great!” Jim stands, oblivious. “In that case, why don’t I give you a little tour of your vessel? Mr Spock, you have the conn.”</p>
<p>Jim takes Miss Karidian’s arm and off they go. </p>
<p>When the doors of the turbolift have closed, every single person on the bridge turns to Leonard.</p>
<p>“Somethin’ on my face or what?”  He turns and makes for the corridor. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It seems the news about the acting company and Miss Lenore Karidian, such as it is, has spread through the entire ship at warp speed, including medbay. His staff offer their salutes and greetings in hushed voices.</p>
<p>So everyone thinks that Jim is cheating on him and he’s just letting it happen.</p>
<p>That’s … kind of hilarious.</p>
<p>Unless it keeps people from doing their job.</p>
<p>“Krejci!” Leonard snaps. “I don’t care what the rumor mill is spreadin’ around this madhouse this time, or any other time! It stays out of medbay!”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir!” </p>
<p>Krejci runs off to talk to Tracy and Brent. They are all going to be <em>very</em> popular once alpha shift is over. </p>
<p>Leonard goes off to see about his flu patients.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The door swishes open to reveal Jim and Miss Karidian. Leonard swears every member of his staff stands up straighter.</p>
<p>“And this,” Jim is explaining, “is our medbay. Most advanced medical facility in the alpha quadrant. Or so I’m told.”</p>
<p>“How interesting.” Miss Karidian is leaning a lot closer, almost close enough to kiss.</p>
<p>Jim laughs.</p>
<p>Krejci, Tracy, Brent and all of the nurses as well as every single remaining flu patient turn their heads to stare at Leonard. </p>
<p>Well, this should be fun.</p>
<p>“Why, Miss … Karidian, is it?” Leonard walks up to the doors. “I hope this is only part of your tour and not an actual need of our medical facilities? Although they are, of course, at your service.”</p>
<p>“Huh. And you are?” Miss Karidian looks at him with a seasoned celebrity’s polite disinterest.</p>
<p>“Dr Leonard McCoy. Chief Medical Officer.”</p>
<p>It’s only mild disinterest now. “You’re a doctor.”</p>
<p>Leonard offers a grin. “Well spotted, ma’am.” Behind Miss Karidian, Jim looks confused, which just makes the whole thing funnier. “Well then,” Leonard adds, “Don’t let this old country doctor keep you any longer. I’m sure you’re in the <em>best</em> of hands.”</p>
<p>“Why thank you, Doctor.” Miss Karidian smiles, and puts a hand on Jim’s arm. “Shall we, James?”</p>
<p>“Oh, uhm, yes,” Jim says, torn between confusion and the charm routine. “Yes, of course. Let’s, uhm … proceed. Thank you. Doctor.”</p>
<p>“Captain.” Leonard throws in a salute for good measure as they leave.</p>
<p>Let the rumor mill chew on <em>that</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After alpha shift, Leonard is halfway to the Captain’s quarters before it occurs to him that he might not want to walk in there.</p>
<p>He turns on his heel and heads to his quarters. His own quarters. </p>
<p>Which are … empty.</p>
<p>Leonard sits down on a bed he hasn’t slept in for <em>months</em>.</p>
<p>Over those past months, most of his wardrobe and various other odds and ends have somehow made their way over into the Captain’s quarters. Jim’s quarters. Their quarters. </p>
<p>Right. </p>
<p>He kicks off his boots, grabs a spare padd, leans back on the bed, and resolves to spend the rest of his day catching up on the <em>Startfleet Medical Journal</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He gets about three hundred words and nineteen notes about the author’s inadequacy into an article on the long-term effects of radiation poisoning before his door chimes.</p>
<p>Leonard ignores it in favor of making note number twenty (<em>utterly fails to take lastest advances in rapid cellular regeneration into account</em>). </p>
<p>The door chimes again. This time, the intercom activates, too. “Bones? You in there?”</p>
<p>“Enter.” The door opens. Before Jim can say anything, Leonard adds, “You do realize you have the entry code for my quarters? And not to mention a goddamn override?”</p>
<p>“I, erm …” The door swishes shut. “You didn’t come h— to the Captain’s quarters. After your shift. I wasn’t sure you wanted to see me.”</p>
<p>Leonard rolls his eyes. “I reckoned you’d be busy.”</p>
<p>Jim shudders. From the short distance across the room, Leonard catches a whiff of perfume.</p>
<p>“Bones … are you mad at me?”</p>
<p>“Why would I be mad at you?”</p>
<p>“Because …” Jim falters. “I don’t know, the whole Lenore thing?”</p>
<p>“Oh for cryin’ out loud.” He drops the padd on the bed and gets to his feet. “I thought the plan was to get some information about Karidian out of Lenore and a good old Jim Kirk charm offensive seemed like the best way. Or is it not workin’?”</p>
<p>“No, it’s <em>workin’</em> fine, it’s just … She called me Caesar of the Stars, for God’s sake. And … how are you so cool with this? I practically kissed that girl in front of you!”</p>
<p>“Wasn’t that the <em>point</em>?”</p>
<p>“I just …” Jim shudders. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. All this Tarsus shit, I don’t even <em>think</em> about that most of the time, and now Kodos is alive and Tom is <em>dead</em> and on top of that, I’m supposed to, what, <em>sleep</em> with her? I hate this.”</p>
<p>“I hate that some Starfleet-sponsored maniac murdered four thousand people and you had to watch it.”</p>
<p>Jim flinches, but doesn’t reply.</p>
<p>“Seriously,” Leonard says, “Charm her, kiss her, fuck her if that’s what it takes, I don’t —”</p>
<p>“You don’t care, I know, you told me! Several times!” Jim sounds … actually offended. “But I care! I don’t want to sleep with her. And I care that you don’t care. I mean, that’s just … what the hell, Bones.”</p>
<p>Leonard can’t win, can he? And people wonder why most of the time he chooses not to play.</p>
<p>“Come on, Jim. I ain’t gonna stand there and push you into her bed or anythin’. If you don’t want to, then for God’s sake don’t sleep with her! We can find some other way to get to Karidian. I just meant that if <em>this</em> is the way, then I ain’t gonna pitch a fit about it!”</p>
<p>Jim stares at him. Then, quietly, “She really did cheat on you, didn’t she?”</p>
<p>“What are you talkin’ about?” But Leonard already knows.</p>
<p>“The idiot woman.”</p>
<p>“Don’t call her that. And I don’t see what difference that makes.”</p>
<p>Jim just looks at him. </p>
<p>Leonard relents. “Alright, fine, technically, she did. And I say <em>technically</em> because we were <em>technically</em> still married at the time. But really, I’d been a drunk mess for months, not her husband. It’s not like I can blame her.”</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Jim says, softly now.</p>
<p>“Stop it.”</p>
<p>“No, actually, I think it’s kinda important that you went through some seriously traumatizing shit with your dad and your wife’s reaction was to cheat on you? And all you have to say about that is you <em>can’t blame her</em>?”</p>
<p>Leonard shrugs. “Yeah. That is exactly all I have to say about that.”</p>
<p>“Bullshit. How can you <em>think</em> that? Did you stand there and push her into someone else’s bed?”</p>
<p>“I might as well have.”</p>
<p>“Why, did you …” Jim is frowning now. “What <em>did</em> you do?”</p>
<p>Leonard shrugs again. “I don’t know. Not exactly. I remember some shouting. Actually, a lot of shouting. She threw something at me once. I don’t think I threw it back, but I wouldn’t bet on it. <em>That’s</em> how out of it I was. I don’t even <em>remember</em> what I did! Still gonna take my side here?”</p>
<p>“What the fuck, Bones. How is that even a question? Of course I am! I’m <em>always</em> gonna take your side! Even when what you’ve done is wrong. Especially then.”</p>
<p>Leonard … doesn’t know what to say. Or do. He just shrugs.</p>
<p>“Alright.” Jim sounds broken, which is fitting because that is what Leonard <em>does</em>. Just ask Jocelyn. “I’m meeting Lenore for dinner in a bit and yeah, I can pretend for a while, but …” </p>
<p>Leonard finds his voice again somehow. “When I say that I don’t care about that, what I mean, and what I should have said, is that I <em>trust</em> you.” </p>
<p>That, at least, he knows for sure.</p>
<p>Jim kisses him rather than replying and that suits Leonard just fine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His communicator chimes. It’s the middle of the night. This can’t be good. “Medbay to Dr McCoy. Code red.”</p>
<p>Leonard sits up, wide awake. Code red means someone is dying.</p>
<p>“Suspected poisoning,” Aiello explains, “I repeat, code red.”</p>
<p>“Code red acknowledged.” Leonard already out of bed. “I’ll be right there.”</p>
<p>He throws on yesterday’s uniform and sets off at a run.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In medbay, gamma shift are frantically working on someone in a red Engineering uniform. </p>
<p>For a split second, he expects Dr Sanchez to snap at him that it’s all under control, and that there was no need to follow protocol, which mandates that, if the emergency allows, the CMO should attend personally to any code red.</p>
<p>But Sanchez immediately steps back from the bed to face him. “Suspected poisoning, sir. He managed to call for medical help before losing consciousness. Substance unknown as of yet. Acute asphyxia. He’s on tri-ox. He hasn’t thrown up much, so we’ve started gastral lavage. Vitals still dropping.”</p>
<p>Leonard never would have thought he’d appreciate those military ranks and hierarchies in Starfleet, but … they do have some advantages.</p>
<p>“Alright.” He checks the vitals on the biobed readout, which are indeed in freefall. Damnit. “Aiello, ten ccs of anti-intoxicant Beta-Two.” The broad-spectrum anti-intoxicant they’ve derived from that incident with the inhibition-lowering virus. “Jeren,” he addresses one of the gamma shift medical technicians. “Get the contents of his stomach over to medlab, on the double.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Sanchez, where was he found?”</p>
<p>“Engineering 5, sir. He was alone at the time of the incident.”</p>
<p>“Computer, code blue in Engineering 5. Full medical quarantine.”</p>
<p>“Code blue acknowledged,” Christine, no, the computer says.</p>
<p>“Sanchez, I want you to get down there with whoever you can spare in medlab and bag up anythin’ he might have come into contact with. Get everythin’ straight to medlab. Full code blue protocol. Hazmat suits, the lot.”</p>
<p>“Right away, sir.” Sanchez leaves.</p>
<p>Leonard checks the vitals over again. The anti-intoxicant seems to have stabilized them, albeit at a critical level. For the first time, then, he looks at the patient’s face - and does a double take. </p>
<p>It’s Kevin Riley.</p>
<p><em>Fuck</em>.</p>
<p>“Sir?” Aiello asks.</p>
<p>“Put him on ventilator,” Leonard hears himself saying, as he feels for the carotid pulse (barely perceptible).</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>He can’t lose Kevin Riley. Of all the people aboard the Enterprise, <em>not</em> that one. Not the boy Jim protected on Tarsus IV and, in a way, ever since. Riley’s death cannot be on Leonard. It <em>can’t</em> be.</p>
<p>“How are the kidneys?” he asks. Connors, the other medical technician, hands him the latest data on a padd. “Hang more fluids now.” They might even have to put Riley on dialysis. Goddamn mediaeval technology, but even a newly grown kidney wouldn’t be able to wash the toxins out any faster. He reaches for the intercom. “McCoy to medlab, what did he swallow?”</p>
<p>“Jeren here, sir. We’re just getting the results, it seems … he ingested tetra-lubisol, sir. Records say that’s a lubricant commonly used aboard starships.”</p>
<p>At last, some progress. “I need anti-intoxicant Beta-Two modified to counteract this stuff, stat. Patch it through to my station. And have someone coordinate with Dr Sanchez to find out how he ingested it before anyone else does! McCoy out.”</p>
<p>He stalks over to his station, which is already filling up with the data from medlab. Riley’s vitals are there, too, including the kidney function. Leonard rarely works with gamma shift directly, but they’re <em>good</em>. </p>
<p>Vitals are still critical, but at least they’re not getting worse. Leonard focuses on the tetra-lubisol. Medlab has already sent over a suggestion for the modification.</p>
<p>“McCoy to medlab. That should do it. Make it, get it over here.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>He looks up to find Connors hovering near his station. “What?”</p>
<p>“Should we, erm, is the … does the Captain know what’s going on, sir?”</p>
<p>Right. The Captain does not, in fact, know that there is a code red. Because the Captain wasn’t sleeping next to the CMO for once. But Leonard can’t deal with Jim facing another Tarsus-related death right now. </p>
<p>So he says, “Not yet.”</p>
<p>Hopefully, he <em>won’t</em> have to deal with Jim facing another Tarsus-related death.</p>
<p>Not yet.</p>
<p>Here comes Jeren running with the modified anti-intoxicant.</p>
<p>“Give me 10 ccs, right now.” Leonard walks over to the bed and injects it himself. </p>
<p>“Vitals are stabilizing,” Aiello says.</p>
<p>Thank God. He exhales. But he can’t relax yet. “More fluids. Keep a close eye on those kidneys, too, he’s probably gonna need diuretics.” </p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” </p>
<p>Around him, gamma shift gets to work.</p>
<p>“McCoy to Sanchez. We’ve got Riley stabilized. Your report.”</p>
<p>“I’m in medlab, sir. We’ve confirmed that the tetra-lubisol was in Riley’s drink. He was drinking milk and tetra-lubisol is a milky substance. You wouldn’t be able to tell from sight or smell that anything was in there. We haven’t found the substance anywhere else in Engineering 5. Permission to pull in medlab alpha shift to help security go over everything, including the replicator?”</p>
<p>“Do it. Have them suspend all replicator function across the entire ship until you’ve cleared them. I’ll issue a Medical Priority Order if they whine about it. I’m sending Jeren back over. Call in Tracy and Brent as well. Let me know the <em>second</em> you find the substance anywhere else.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Just how many coincidences can there be …?</em>
</p>
<p>But that’s not something he wants on the intercom. Not when the coincidences are in any way related to Section 31. </p>
<p>“And Sanchez? I want your next report in person. McCoy out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard stands next to the bed and stares at Riley’s vitals.</p>
<p>They remain stable. </p>
<p>Which means Riley is not going to die. Not in medbay, not today. </p>
<p>Not on Leonard’s log.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dr McCoy?” Sanchez is standing beside him. </p>
<p>“Yeah?”</p>
<p>“We’ve finished a full sweep of Engineering, sir. Replicator system, too. There’s nothing there.”</p>
<p>Leonard takes a look around. No one else is in earshot. “Your best guess as to how the substance got into Riley’s milk? Between you and me?”</p>
<p>“Not by accident.” </p>
<p>“I see.” Leonard takes another deep breath. What time is it, anyway? “You alright to continue here?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Then you have medbay. I’ll go brief the Captain. If Records want a report, refer them to me. Hold any report from Engineering until I’ve seen it. And … put security outside medbay.”</p>
<p>Sanchez doesn’t even miss a beat. “Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Leonard nods and, after one last look at Riley’s pale face, goes off to see Jim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For just a moment, outside the Captain’s quarters, Leonard pauses. It’s possible that Miss Karidian is in there right now. But he does need to brief Jim. So he opens the door with his code. </p>
<p>“Captain?”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Jim blinks up at him, from the bed, drowsy but alone. “Bones? What’s wrong? Computer, lights, 30 per cent.”</p>
<p>Leonard winces. “What’s wrong is someone tried to kill Kevin Riley.”</p>
<p>“<em>What</em>?” Jim sits bolt upright.</p>
<p>“He’s fine,” Leonard hastens to add. “I mean, he will be fine. He was poisoned. Tetra-lubisol in his drink. Some lubricant used in Engineering. I’ve had people check over Engineering and the replicators. There’s nothing there. I can’t rule out an accident completely, of course, but …”</p>
<p>“Fuck.” Jim shudders. “How is he?”</p>
<p>“Recoverin’. It was touch and go for a while there. But he’ll make it. I’m holdin’ reports for the time bein’ and I’ve posted Security outside medbay, too. Just in case.”</p>
<p>Jim … frowns. “When did this happen?”</p>
<p>“Didn’t stop to check the chronometer. Couple hours ago. I think.”</p>
<p>“Couple <em>hours</em>? Damnit, why didn’t you wake me up?”</p>
<p>Because he didn’t want to have this exact conversation while lives were at stake. “And what, pray tell, would you have done? Captain? Paced up and down in medbay?”</p>
<p>“Fuck.” Jim takes a deep breath. “I think we need a team meeting. I haven’t spoken to Spock and Uhura all day yesterday, they might have found out something as well.” Jim reaches for the intercom. “Kirk to Spock and Uhura. Report to my quarters. Fifteen minutes. Kirk out.” Then Jim gets out of bed. “I’m going to take a shower. Can you get the coffee going?”</p>
<p>Well. Leonard thinks he might just be able to manage that. If nothing else, these days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By the time Spock and Uhura arrive, the intercom tells Leonard that it is 0714. Not so long until alpha briefing, then.</p>
<p>He wonders how much he has slept. Or Jim. If at all.</p>
<p>“Captain,” Uhura says. “We just heard about the code red.”</p>
<p>“Riley is fine,” Leonard offers.</p>
<p>“But was it an accident, do you think?” Uhura asks.</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“First Tom, now Kevin …” Jim takes a gulp of the coffee Leonard has put on the table. “I don’t think those were accidents either.”</p>
<p>“Furthermore,” Spock says, “does the name Katja Obin mean anything to you?”</p>
<p>Jim jerks upright in a way that can only mean yes. “She was on Tarsus IV with us. Sang the younger ones to sleep when … nevermind. Is … is she dead?” But Jim must already know.</p>
<p>“I am afraid so, sir. I took the liberty to check the acting company’s itinerary, which I deemed a safe enough query as we now form part of that itinerary, and reviewed the major news items during the time of the company’s stay in a particular place. A few months ago, they were on Argelius II, and the unexpected and, indeed, unexplained death of the noted singer Katja Obin was the main headline.”</p>
<p>The sound of Jim’s fist connecting with the table makes Leonard wince. And Uhura. “Damnit, I have to <em>do</em> something.”</p>
<p>“What is it you seek to achieve?” Spock asks, not entirely unreasonably. “Vengeance?”</p>
<p>That would not usually be Jim’s style, but …</p>
<p>“I owe it to the dead to make sure,” Jim says in an eerie echo of Leighton’s desperation. “I have to —”</p>
<p>“Quiet,” Spock hisses, so sharply that everyone does indeed go quiet.</p>
<p>Leonard can’t hear anything apart from the usual hum of the life support system. The hum of …</p>
<p>“There is a phaser overloading nearby,” Spock says.</p>
<p>Oh, damn.</p>
<p>“Computer! Red alert, deck 2!” Jim shouts. Red lights and sirens start blaring straight away. “Bones, Spock, Uhura, evacuate the deck! I’ll find it.”</p>
<p>“I ain’t leavin’!” Leonard shouts back. Technically, he’s disobeying a direct order right now. And slowing down the process.</p>
<p>But Jim, as ever, only takes a split-second to decide. “Spock, Uhura, evacuate the entire deck and seal it off. Go!”</p>
<p>“But Captain —” Uhura attempts.</p>
<p>“Go! Now!” Jim interrupts.</p>
<p>“Captain.” Spock takes off at a run, dragging Uhura along. </p>
<p>Jim and Leonard set to finding the damn phaser, toppling over books and pillows and the mattress. The hum is getting louder, even over the blaring siren. If the phaser explodes in here, there’ll be significant damage to the ship. Oh, and the two of them will be dead. Great.</p>
<p>Leonard makes himself breathe. Treat it like a medical emergency, he thinks. Find the entry wound. Find the bleeder. </p>
<p>“Deck 2 evacuated and isolated, sir,” Spock says from the intercom. “While isolation is in effect, we will be unable to use the internal sensors to aid your search.”</p>
<p>“I know!” Jim is pulling clothes out of the closet, gold and blue uniforms scattering across the floor. “I don’t even keep a phaser in these quarters.”</p>
<p>In other words, someone’s trying to kill Jim. Someone. Right.</p>
<p>“There.” Jim points to one of the alarm panels over the bed where the outline of a phaser is visible against the flashing red light. </p>
<p>Leonard looks around and spots a knife on the table that he uses for leverage to work open the panel. The phaser is hot to the touch and it takes all he has not to drop the damn thing. </p>
<p>“Disposal vent!” Jim shouts, “Come on.”</p>
<p>They rush out into the corridor. Jim opens the panel and Leonard drops the phaser in. </p>
<p>Jim punches in an override code that vents the garbage not down to maintenance but directly into space. A great shush whisks the phaser away. </p>
<p>A few tense seconds pass. </p>
<p>Nothing explodes. </p>
<p>Jim hits the intercom. “Kirk to bridge. All clear. Stand down red alert.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Uhura replies with audible relief. </p>
<p>The red lights stop flashing and that godawful siren stops, too. </p>
<p>Leonard collapses against the wall. “Lord have mercy.” </p>
<p>Jim is frowning at him. “You burned your hand.”</p>
<p>He did, Leonard realizes, and the moment he does realize, the adrenaline ebbs away and it starts to <em>hurt</em>. </p>
<p>“Is this the point where I mention that my middle name is Horatio?”</p>
<p>Jim stares. “You’re kidding me.”</p>
<p>“Nah.” He turns his palm up and looks at it, the seared flesh red and angry. <em>There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy</em>. “Nothin’ the dermal won’t fix.” </p>
<p>“I think there’s one in the emergency kit? If we can find that in the mess?”</p>
<p>Leonard starts to laugh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spock and Uhura walk in on them sitting on the floor in the middle of all the mess, Jim running a dermal regenerator over Leonard’s palm, holding his wrist to keep him steady. </p>
<p>“Okay?” Jim asks. </p>
<p>Leonard flexes his hand. The regenerated skin is a bit tender, but that’s normal. He should know. He’s the doctor. </p>
<p>“Okay,” he breathes.</p>
<p>Jim switches off the dermal, raises Leonard’s hand up and presses a soft kiss onto the healed palm.</p>
<p><em>Definitely</em> okay.</p>
<p>“Mr Spock.” Jim hasn’t let go of his wrist. Hasn’t even looked at Spock. “Status report?”</p>
<p>“Evacuation order has been lifted, Captain. All crewmembers have returned to quarters. External sensors confirm the phaser exploded. No damage to the hull or the disposal vent.”</p>
<p>Which leaves the question of how the phaser got there. Leonard asks, “How long does it take for a phaser to overload, anyway?”</p>
<p>“Not all that long,” Jim says. “Though I suppose one could rig up a time delay? Which means it could have been anyone who placed it there. They must have gained access to my quarters, but …” Jim blinks. “I mean, Lenore was in here, but …”</p>
<p>Well, damn. </p>
<p>“All I know,” Jim says, “is that this is no coincidence. First Tom, then Kevin, now me. And Katja. It all goes back to Tarsus IV. It all goes back to Kodos. So let’s get some answers.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard barely manages to keep up with Jim on the way to the guest quarters. Inside, Karidian - Kodos - is dressed to play the ghost in Hamlet, and looks at them in the mirror. Just in case the entire thing wasn’t dramatic enough. </p>
<p>“You’re him,” Jim says without preamble. Spock and Uhura are only just entering the room. “You’re Kodos.”</p>
<p>“What is Kodos but another part that I played, long ago?” Karidian asks.</p>
<p>“That was not a play! That was our <em>lives</em>!”</p>
<p>Karidian turns from the mirror to face them, arm raised like the orators of old. Unwittingly or not, Jim takes a step back. The gesture must have triggered another unpleasant memory. </p>
<p>“You killed four thousand people,” Jim whispers. “Four thousand innocent people.”</p>
<p>“I saved four thousand,” Karidian says. No, Kodos. Who just … admitted the deed. “I offered you a chance, young Kirk. And say, did you not take it? Captain?”</p>
<p>What kind of sick mind does it take to reach that conclusion, especially when help via Starfleet can never have been more than a week away? If they had called for help.</p>
<p>“I am well aware,” Kodos continues, “that, as the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. I have paid the price ever since for my attempt, successfully, to save those four thousand lives, including yours. Would you rather have starved to death alongside every one else? But I see it is pointless to argue with you. What is it you want, Kirk? Vengeance? Are you going to haul an old actor in front of a Federation court to answer for the alleged crimes of a man who, for all intents and purposes, does not exist, indeed never has existed?”</p>
<p>Jim gapes at the soliloquy.</p>
<p>Goddamn Section 31. What do they stand to gain by covering this up, anyway? </p>
<p>“So,” Kodos continues, “your only way to exact vengeance would be to kill me. Say, would this bring you peace?”</p>
<p><em>Please don’t</em>, Leonard thinks. Jim has survived all these things, more than most, but cold-blooded murder …</p>
<p>“What do you think this is, Hamlet?” Jim spits. </p>
<p>“My hour,” Kodos says with a dramatic flourish, “is almost come, when I to sulphurous and tormenting fires must —”</p>
<p>The delivery is cut off by the door opening again. It’s … Riley. Who should not even be out of bed. </p>
<p>“It’s him!” Riley isn’t armed, but looks furious enough to tear Kodos apart with bare hands. And really, could anyone <em>blame</em> Riley? </p>
<p>“Calm down, Lieutenant,” Jim attempts.</p>
<p>“But Jimmy, it’s him! They showed me a picture of the acting company just now and I knew right away! It’s Kodos!”</p>
<p>Leonard is going to have <em>words</em> with the security detail that was supposed to be guarding medbay. </p>
<p>“I know,” Jim says. “Stand down, Lieutenant.”</p>
<p>Spock makes as if to move in on Riley, but Jim stalls any intervention by holding up a hand. “Kevin, don’t. We’re not like him. We’re <em>better</em> than him.”</p>
<p>Riley’s reply is cut off by the door opening yet again. </p>
<p>“Father, we are almost ready for —” Lenore pauses at the tableau, taking in all the players in turn, and stopping on … Riley. “You. You are not supposed to walk among us anymore.”</p>
<p>Fuck. It really was Lenore who tried to kill Riley. And Jim. </p>
<p>“My child,” Kodos says, equally stunned, “what are you saying?”</p>
<p>“Your ghosts, father! I have been taking care of them! I will be taking care of them! Even Caesar!” The last one is directed at Jim. “Your name is not enough to keep you safe, now!”</p>
<p>“You killed Tom?” Jim asks, as if for confirmation. “And Katja? And you tried to kill Kevin.”</p>
<p>“You’re dangerous! You remember!” Lenore produces a phaser. “I can use this, too.”</p>
<p>“No more!” Kodos shouts. “No more blood on your hands or mine!”</p>
<p>But Lenore doesn’t hear. Lenore aims the phaser at Jim which means that Jim is in danger, Leonard has to move, he has to — but he cannot move, before Kodos has lunged in front of Jim and has taken the phaser blast, set to kill, dead center to the chest. Even Spock, for all this Vulcan speed, is just a fraction too late. Kodos has already crumpled to the ground. </p>
<p>“No!” comes a desperate shriek. This time, Spock is faster and disarms Lenore. </p>
<p>“Lieutenant?” Spock asks.</p>
<p>Uhura nods and grabs a hold of Lenore before anyone does any more damage. </p>
<p>On the ground, Kodos does not move. Dead. This time, for real. </p>
<p>But Jim is still standing and alive. </p>
<p>“Spock to security.”</p>
<p>Leonard flinches at the sound. He hasn’t even noticed Spock moving over to the intercom. </p>
<p>“Hendorff here, sir.”</p>
<p>“Send a security detail to the main guest quarters to escort Miss Karidian to the brig. Security protocol 114.” <em>Maximum security, sedate if necessary</em>. “We also have a civilian code black,” <em>a corpse</em>, “that needs to be transported to medlab.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Cupcake acknowledges. </p>
<p>“Dr McCoy. Perhaps you would like to issue some orders regarding the code black?”</p>
<p>The corpse. Right. Leonard has to step around said corpse, around Kodos, to reach the wall. Spock is looking at him expectantly. Uhura is still holding on to a sobbing Lenore. Jim and Riley are staring at Kodos. Damnit. Leonard clears his throat.</p>
<p>“McCoy to medlab.”</p>
<p>“Hakim here, sir.” </p>
<p>“Security is on their way with a code black. Civilian. Standard autopsy.”</p>
<p>“Civilian code black acknowledged, sir,” Hakim says.</p>
<p>They don’t need an autopsy to know that the phaser blast killed Karidian/Kodos, but it’s mandated by protocol. Leonard won’t give Section 31 another excuse to meddle.</p>
<p>“And Miss Karidian …?” Spock asks.</p>
<p>Leonard takes a deep breath. Forces himself to think of it as a medical problem. Which, in a way, it is.</p>
<p>“You got it. McCoy to medbay.”</p>
<p>“Krejci here, Doctor.”</p>
<p>“I need Tracy to meet me in the brig for a civilian psych assessment. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>He’ll have to see what Lenore’s state of mind is for himself, before they can decide how to handle this. And Section 31 … damn, Section 31 will be onto this in a flash, or as soon as they set foot on Benicia …</p>
<p>But first things first. Leonard turns around. “Jim?”</p>
<p>Jim is still staring at Kodos. “I … I always thought he was dead, anyway. And now … he is. I know he is.”</p>
<p>Does he?</p>
<p>Leonard kneels down and pats the floor next to him. “Come here.”</p>
<p>Frowning, Jim follows him. </p>
<p>“Here.” Leonard takes Jim’s hand and guides it to the base of Kodos’ throat. “Feel that?”</p>
<p>“There’s nothing there.”</p>
<p>“That means …?”</p>
<p>“No pulse. He’s dead.”</p>
<p>“Exactly.”</p>
<p>“He’s dead.” Jim snatches the hand away. Out of the corner of his eye, Leonard can see Riley flinch. “Oh my <em>God</em>.”</p>
<p>Leonard puts his hand on Jim’s shoulder.</p>
<p>They remain on the floor next to Kodos until security arrives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the brig, Leonard watches as Tracy completes a psycho-tricorder scan of Lenore Karidian, who is babbling what appears to be random lines from Shakespeare in the best Ophelia imitation yet.</p>
<p>“She’s psychotic, sir,” Tracy reports. “She doesn’t know her name or where she is. The tricorder scan clearly indicates reduced GMV as well as hyperactivity in the ACC.”</p>
<p>So Lenore is not acting. The next question - is it a singular episode brought on by the traumatic event that has just transpired, or is there history? Leonard has a feeling he won’t be able to access those medical records. And once Section 31 gets wind of this, the poor girl is probably dead anyway. Or vanished. Or … whatever.</p>
<p>Not that he should feel sorry for anyone who tried to kill Jim. And who might yet try again, if let loose.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Leonard says. “Set up monitorin’ equipment. We’ll hand her over to a psychiatric facility once we get to the Benicia colony. But until then —”</p>
<p>“There is nothing more for you to do here, Dr Starfleet.”</p>
<p>Frowning, Leonard turns around to face the actor who played Duncan. “In case it has escaped your notice, you are aboard a Starfleet vessel, which means any medical issue falls under the purview of the ship’s Chief Medical Officer. Which is me.”</p>
<p>“But Miss Karidian is not a member of Starfleet and she will not consent to further treatment.”</p>
<p>“She’s not legally competent to make that decision right now.”</p>
<p>“Then I, as her legal guardian …” Duncan produces a padd, “refuse further treatment.”</p>
<p>Frown deepening, Leonard takes the padd. It contains a standard issue Federation health care provision for Lenore Karidian, with power of attorney granted to the father Mr Karidian or, in that person’s absence, a certain Peter Lawrence. Who, according to the records, is the actor called Duncan. The document is five months old. How … why …?</p>
<p>“Any questions?” Duncan smiles sweetly.</p>
<p>“Alright. She’s gonna have to stay in the brig, and I strongly advise against stopping treatment, but alright. Technician, collect the equipment. We’re done here.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Tracy says, as confused as Leonard feels. But it is not his business, legally, anymore. It’s Duncan’s. And, by extension, whether Duncan knows it or not, Section 31’s.</p>
<p>“It’s alright now, sweetheart,” Duncan tells Lenore, who does not look up. “It’s going to be alright.”</p>
<p>Nothing is alright. If Lenore doesn’t remember anything relating to Tarsus IV, they just cleaned up for Section 31. But they don’t have any hard evidence, nor anyone to put on trial. They can’t prove it. Tarsus IV or the murders. Or anything. </p>
<p>Leonard leaves the brig with a queasy feeling in his stomach.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Leonard finally keys open the door to the Captain’s quarters, it’s around lunchtime and he finds Jim sitting on the sofa with Kevin Riley. They’re eating ice cream out of coffee cups. Which Riley probably shouldn’t be doing, but …</p>
<p>Riley flinches and makes as if to get up.</p>
<p>Leonard holds up both hands. “Didn’t mean to intrude.”</p>
<p>“Bones.” Jim pats the empty space on the sofa. “You’re not intruding. And anyway, the replicator gave us more than enough ice cream. Sit down, grab a cup. And Kev, stay put, will you. It’s been a hell of a night and you heard Mr Spock, too — we’re not supposed to be on duty right now anyway.”</p>
<p>Leonard looks at Riley for confirmation. Riley looks unsure. </p>
<p>“Alright.” He walks across the room and extends his hand to Riley. “I’m Leonard.”</p>
<p>Still confused, or perhaps scared, Riley shakes his hand. “Kevin.”</p>
<p>Leonard grabs a cup and a spoon and sits down on Jim’s other side. “What are we havin’?”</p>
<p>“Mint.” Jim looks at him. </p>
<p>“That so.” Leonard scoops some ice cream out of the large bowl. It’s probably enough to feed the entire crew. He tastes a spoonful. “Damn, that’s good.”</p>
<p>“Right?” Jim’s smile is faint, but it’s there. “Although not quite as good as my favorite place back in Iowa. I’m gonna have to take you there, next time we’re on Earth.”</p>
<p>That is new. Offering to take Leonard back to Iowa? Leonard swallows another spoonful of ice cream. “After that, I’m takin’ you to get a real mint julep.”</p>
<p>Jim squeezes Leonard’s thigh. “I’d love that.”</p>
<p>Leonard can see it now, hiking the Appalachian trail with Jim, or hitting the bars in Atlanta. The picture is so vivid he’s overcome by a feeling of longing and homesickness. </p>
<p>But home is not so much a place to him anymore. It’s a person, that person sitting next to him. He puts his hand over Jim’s. </p>
<p><em>I love you</em>, he thinks. <em>I hope that’s good enough</em>.</p>
<p>From Jim’s other side, Riley - Kevin - is staring at them, wide-eyed. </p>
<p>“I, uhm …” Kevin coughs. “I should go.”</p>
<p>“Nah.” Jim turns back to Kevin, but doesn’t take the hand off Leonard’s thigh. “Someone’s gotta eat all of this.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah,” Leonard says. “It’s gonna take at least three people to make a significant indent in this monstrosity.”</p>
<p>“There you have it, Kev. Can’t argue with the doctor!”</p>
<p>“Yes, s- Jim—” Kevin takes a deep breath. “Jim. Alright.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They eat ice cream. And chat about Earth, about Iowa and Ireland and Georgia. About everything and nothing. </p>
<p>The mountain of ice cream does not seem to be getting any smaller. </p>
<p>They don’t mention Tarsus IV. But still, Leonard can’t help but wonder. Kevin is younger than Jim, was only maybe seven or eight when Kodos murdered Kevin’s <em>parents</em>. How does one come back from that? Is is even possible? </p>
<p>Maybe Kevin ran, too, and is still running, here, in space. </p>
<p>In a way, they’re all running. </p>
<p>Leonard shudders to think of what will happen if they’re ever forced to stop. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At some point, Kevin leaves, citing tiredness. </p>
<p>Jim shuffles closer to Leonard the moment the door is closed. “There’s one good thing that’s come out of this.”</p>
<p>“You and Riley are still alive?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I mean. What I mean is Section 31 fucked up. They might have had their reasons for letting Kodos live, but the whole business with Lenore, I don’t think they planned that. So that means we know they made a mistake.” </p>
<p>Leonard swallows hard. “And they know that we know. Somehow, I don’t think that’s a good thing.”</p>
<p>Jim leans up, grinning. “We’ll find out sooner or later, eh?”</p>
<p>Probably sooner. But not now. Not yet. Now, Leonard just pulls Jim close.</p>
<p>The kiss is a mess, but it’s good enough. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Court Martial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[CN: mentions of suicide.]</p>
<p>For everyone in the comments who spotted the presence of Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Finney ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There’s an ion storm forming in this sector, sir,” Chekov reports in alpha briefing. “Force four, and rising.”</p>
<p>Leonard stifles a yawn. He’s itching to get to medbay and go over the biodata gathered during their dilithium run on Xahea the day before. Ion storms aren’t great, but no cause for concern. Unless someone sends a shuttle in. </p>
<p>“This would be a prime possibility to test out the new ion pod,” Finney says. “Sir.”</p>
<p>The new … what? The hell? Which crucial briefing has Leonard ignored this time?</p>
<p>“Are ye out of yer mind?” Scotty duly objects. “That’s a ridiculous concept to begin with, and we’ve not tested it at all! That storm’s already a four!”</p>
<p>“I share Scotty’s concerns,” Jim says. That’s a first … “Mr Finney, as I understand it, if the ion storm goes up to a seven, and we go to red alert, the pod will have to be ejected at a moment’s notice.”</p>
<p>Finney shrugs. “Plenty of time, if it even becomes necessary. I’ll go myself. The next ion storm might be months or even years away.”</p>
<p>Since when is Finney such a keen explorer?</p>
<p>“Mr Hendorff?” Jim asks. “Security assessment?”</p>
<p>“It is a risk, sir. The pod is designed to latch onto an airlock. The person inside the pod would have to evacuate and seal the airlock within seconds.”</p>
<p>“With prior warning.” Finney waves a dismissive hand. “And if you’re thinking about putting security inside the airlock, forget it, Lieutenant. <em>That’d</em> be an excessive risk.”</p>
<p>“I concur with that last point,” Cupcake grumbles. “Sir.”</p>
<p>Jim nods in acknowledgement. “How long would we have to stay in the ion storm, Mr Finney?”</p>
<p>“Twenty to thirty minutes at a five or twenty at a six should do it.”</p>
<p>“Let’s not hope for a six. Mr Spock, what would be the scientific benefits of these readings?”</p>
<p>“If Mr Finney is correct, the readings have the potential to greatly advance our understanding of ion storms, sir.”</p>
<p>Jim turns to Leonard. “Dr McCoy?”</p>
<p>He rolls his eyes. There’s no real reason to ask for his medical opinion here, but … “Well, I don’t like any of this.”</p>
<p>“Noted.” Jim turns back to Finney. “Alright then. We’ll proceed. Let’s go to yellow alert. Helm, take us into the ion storm. Impulse only. Mr Hendorff, accompany Mr Finney to the designated airlock. Scotty, I want you to monitor from Main Engineering. Alpha briefing dismissed.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” echoes all around.</p>
<p>Leonard watches as Finney, Cupcake and Scotty vanish into the turbo lift with an inexplicably queasy feeling in his stomach.</p>
<p>“There a problem, Doctor?” Jim asks. “Bones?”</p>
<p>“No, Captain. I’ll be in medbay.” Leonard turns on his heel and stalks off towards the corridor. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sanchez and Jeren are waiting for him by his station together with Krejci. “Good morning, sir.”</p>
<p>“Morning.” Leonard peers at the padd in Jeren’s hand. “The biodata from Xahea?”</p>
<p>“Preliminary lab results, yes, sir. They’re … amazing.” Jeren’s eyes are glowing. “Never seen anything like it.” </p>
<p>“I’m afraid that’s gonna have to wait.” Leonard gestures at the yellow alert. “We’re doin’ some <em>science</em> in the ion storm, so there’s probably gonna be a red alert any moment now.”</p>
<p>“In that case, sir,” Sanchez says, without missing a beat, “gamma shift should stay on duty until we have cleared the danger zone.”</p>
<p>Leonard calculates. Twenty to thirty minutes, Finney said. If all goes well, he can send gamma shift off not long after that. If it goes to hell … they’ll need a rested beta shift. “Y’all are okay to continue?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Sanchez and Jeren say. Looking around medbay, everyone has stopped and listened to their conversation, gamma and alpha shift both. <em>Is</em> gamma shift still alert? Leonard is going to have to trust Sanchez’ assessment. And if there is a red alert, they’ll all be awake soon enough.</p>
<p>“Alright,” he explains to the crew. “We’re headin’ into an ion storm. Technicians, to your stations! Dr Sanchez, shift report.”</p>
<p>Around him, medbay starts to move. Sanchez says, “Nothing of particular note, sir. Yet.”</p>
<p>Maybe Leonard can sneak a look at the biodata before —</p>
<p>“Red alert,” Uhura’s voice rings from the intercom. Sirens roar to red-flashing life. The entire ship rocks in welcome. “Force seven ion storm. I repeat, all hands, red alert.” </p>
<p>The Enterprise rocks harder, lurching, as if inertial dampeners have failed. Leonard only just manages to hold on to a biobed to avoid falling over. There’ll be casualties. Looking around, alpha and gamma shift are on their feet, holding on to something or other. Leonard only just has time to remember that he used to get seasick before the Enterprise rocks again. And again. Someone shouts out from across medbay. Krejci? Leonard staggers on his feet, feeling more than seeing his wobbly way over to the head nurse’s stations. Has the red alert siren always been this <em>loud</em>?</p>
<p>It’s indeed Krejci who’s on the floor, cradling the left wrist, but otherwise uninjured.</p>
<p>Leonard kneels down. Jeren has staggered over, too, tricorder in hand, but Leonard isn’t sure he could trust those readings in the middle of an ion storm. “Show me that wrist.” </p>
<p>“It’s fine, sir, just a —”</p>
<p>“Shut up and show me!”</p>
<p>Another shudder runs through the Enterprise, then Krejci thrusts the injured wrist at Leonard without looking up.</p>
<p>Leonard peels back the blue uniform and takes the wrist into his right hand, probing gently. Krejci flinches. </p>
<p>“Does that hurt?”</p>
<p>“N—no, sir. Just … surprised me.”</p>
<p>Huh. Leonard runs his thumb over the wrist, where the pulse jumps beneath his touch, but he can’t feel any dislocated or broken bones. </p>
<p>“Move your thumb for me?” Krejci does. “Now the other fingers, in turn?” No problems there, either.</p>
<p>Leonard uses his left hand to steady the wrist and runs his right hand slowly up towards Krejci’s elbow. “Well, all appears to be in workin’ order. You sure it doesn’t hurt? Hey, look at me.”</p>
<p>Krejci does. And seems a bit dazed, at that.</p>
<p>“Sure you didn’t hit your head or anythin’ else?”</p>
<p>“No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. I’m sure.”</p>
<p>Around them, the Enterprise rocks and shudders and resists, until —</p>
<p>Until it stops. </p>
<p>Nothing moves. No siren blares. </p>
<p>Leonard gets to his feet, still wavering in the aftershocks. Looking around medbay, no one else on his staff appears to be hurt. But there will be casualties all over the ship.</p>
<p>He hurries over to his own station, where he can see that auxiliary power is being diverted to the shields, which are holding. Just. Impulse power kicks in, taking them … </p>
<p>“Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is the Captain speaking.” Leonard winces at the tight coil in Jim’s voice. Something has gone wrong. Very wrong. “A pod carrying Lieutenant Commander Finney has been lost to the ion storm.” What the <em>hell</em>? “The ship’s damage is considerable. We’re heading for a layover on Starbase Eleven for repairs right now, where we’ll arrive in approximately twenty-seven hours. All hands, full damage reports. Kirk out.”</p>
<p>“Sir?” Tracy has appeared by his right side.</p>
<p>It’s only then that Leonard notices he’s clenched his hands into fists. He makes himself exhale. </p>
<p>“Y’all heard the Captain. Sanchez! Set up that damage report. We’re runnin’ the full crew check-in roster! Krejci, assignments!”</p>
<p>The star chart confirms they’re heading away on the ion storm on impulse power. So far, so good.</p>
<p>In the absence of any casualties to triage (so far), Leonard remains standing by his station, watching both the slow impulse crawl out of the storm and Krejci coordinating the check-in roster, assigning each nurse batches of crewmembers to contact via communicator and, if there is no response, to locate via the computer and check up on personally. Just in case someone is bleeding out in their quarters, unconscious. </p>
<p>Internal sensors would probably pick up on any injury that severe, but Leonard is not about to put <em>lives</em> into the hands of Starfleet technology. </p>
<p>A notification on his station pulls him out of his reverie. It’s a death log, sent to the CMO for confirmation as per standard protocol. <em>Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney</em>, it reads. <em>Cause of death: lost in space.</em> </p>
<p>The urge to storm out of medbay and onto the bridge and make sure Jim is alright runs through Leonard like a dread shudder, but he fights it down. He’s on <em>duty</em>, his place is in medbay, and he only has time to acknowledge receiving the log before Tameron, one of the gamma nurses, reports the first unresponsive crewmember. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By the time every broken wrist, suspected head trauma and other <em>minimal damage</em> has been tracked down and attended to, gamma shift has long been dismissed (only by Leonard’s express order).</p>
<p>At least, only five biobeds remain occupied, all of them as a precaution for minor head trauma or, in the case of Specialist Yan, a rather complicated double break in the left arm that’s resting in the osteo-regenerator.</p>
<p>This could have been much worse.</p>
<p>But then, they did have one fatality. Just one outside Leonard’s purview.</p>
<p>He checks the chronometer. 2105 hours. Every single member of alpha shift is still on duty. Damnit.</p>
<p>“Alright!” Leonard shouts across medbay. “Alpha, y’all finish up what you’re doing, double-check that you’ve logged your reports and then get some rest! Krejci, call in beta.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He goes over all the reports logged by his staff with M’Benga (who has to be there) and Krejci (who, politely, insisted). </p>
<p>When he logs Medical’s final damage report, it’s past midnight.</p>
<p>“Damnit.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Alright, M’Benga, you have medbay until alpha shift. Krejci, get some sleep. That’s an <em>order</em>.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Inside the Captain’s quarters, it’s not quite dark, the padd Jim’s hunched over casting a faint glow.</p>
<p>Jim blinks up at him, more asleep than awake. There must still be damage reports incoming on that padd. The one from Medical Leonard signed moments ago, for instance.</p>
<p>He toes off his boots, makes his way over to the bed and climbs onto it, uniform and all. “What the hell happened?”</p>
<p>Jim drops the padd on the sheets and slumps against Leonard. “Finney is dead. The ion storm got so bad I had to order the pod to be ejected. There was plenty of warning under yellow alert, I told Finney to get out, repeatedly, I <em>told</em> him, and I waited until the last possible moment, but eventually I had to order the red alert and …”  Jim trails off, shuddering.</p>
<p><em>It wasn’t your fault.</em> Leonard knows better than to say it. Instead, he just holds Jim close.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the alarm chimes at 0700, Jim is already gone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Alpha briefing is a sombre affair in the Captain’s ready room, with just the staff officers present, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov and Cupcake, as well as the Captain’s yeoman, Rand. And an empty seat. Leonard won’t exactly miss the bastard, but he can’t deny that there is a marked absence where Finney’s scowl should be.</p>
<p>“Navigation, where are we at?” Jim looks worn-out, but then, they all do. </p>
<p>“Arrival at Starbase Eleven in eight hours, twenty-six minutes, sir,” Chekov reports.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Uhura, have all reports and logs been sent ahead?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Jim exhales heavily. “Well. That’s all there is to it, really. Alpha shift will stay on duty until we’ve docked. Get to your stations, make sure the damage reports are up to date. Rand, prepare a shore leave schedule. We’ll reconvene on the bridge when we reach Starbase Eleven. Dismissed.”</p>
<p>Leonard does not want to leave Jim’s side, but he knows he has to go to medbay. So he does.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In medbay, Leonard is startled to be greeted by M’Benga instead of Sanchez until he remembers his own orders.</p>
<p>“Good morning, sir,” M’Benga ventures. “My shift report. All overnight stays are ready to be discharged.”</p>
<p>“Thanks. We’ll arrive at Starbase Eleven for repairs in eight hours or so. Alpha will stay on shift until then. I’ll get shore leave details to you when I have them. Beta shift dismissed.”</p>
<p>“Sir.”</p>
<p>M’Benga leaves. Krejci and Tracy materialize by his side instead. </p>
<p>“Good morning, Doctor,” Tracy ventures.</p>
<p>“Let’s check on our overnights. And Krejci, cancel all physicals for the time being.”</p>
<p>“Already done, sir.”</p>
<p>Huh. At least, something around here is working.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard stares at the star chart, and their ever-slowly decreasing distance to Starbase Eleven. Maybe he should not have cancelled today’s physicals after all. It would be something to <em>do</em>. Instead, he wonders how Jim is doing. And whether anyone on his own staff knew Finney well.</p>
<p>“Sir?” Tracy is standing in front of him. “Do you want to go over the biodata from Xahea now or …?”</p>
<p>Right. Leonard stands, and looks around the blessed quiet that is medbay. On the far side, Brent is checking over the osteo-regenerator. </p>
<p>“Tell you what, why don’t you head over to medlab and get started on a report with Hakim? Call Jeren, see if she fancies pitchin’ in.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” Tracy leaves.</p>
<p>At a loss of what to do, Leonard walks over to the head nurse station, where Krejci is reviewing something or other with the other nurses.</p>
<p>“Sir,” Krejci acknowledges. “We’re just going over the data from the last quarter’s worth of physicals. I, uhm … figured Starfleet Medical will want a comprehensive report?”</p>
<p>Damnit. Why hasn’t Leonard thought of that? Although it seems he didn’t have to. “Good thinkin’. I’ll, erm …” He takes another look around medbay, but there is nowhere he can think of to direct his attention that isn’t micro-managing his staff. He should just be glad medbay is working like that, but … “If anyone needs me, I’ll be on the bridge.”</p>
<p>Krejci nods as if this had been expected. “Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Leonard gives up and leaves.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No one pays particular attention to Leonard when he steps onto the bridge, except Jim, who looked relieved.</p>
<p>Leonard moves to stand beside the Captain’s chair, a hand on the backrest above Jim’s shoulder. </p>
<p>For some unknown reason, Spock leaves the Science station and comes to stand on Jim’s other side. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Approaching Starbase Eleven, sir,” Chekov announces. </p>
<p>“Lieutenant Uhura, open a channel,” Jim instructs.</p>
<p>“Hailing frequency open, sir.”</p>
<p>“Starbase Eleven, this Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Request permission to dock for repairs, as per our subspace communications.”</p>
<p>“This is Commodore Stone, commanding officer of Starbase Eleven,” a voice booms out of the intercom. “Permission granted. Proceed to docking bay seven. Stand by on the bridge. I will meet you there. Stone out.”</p>
<p>Jim frowns up first at Leonard, then at Spock. </p>
<p>Apparently, it falls to Leonard to ask, “Is it a good sign or a bad one that he’ll come meet us here?” </p>
<p>“Speculation would be unwise,” Spock says.</p>
<p>Leonard opens his mouth to protest, but shuts it when he sees the downcast look on Jim’s face.</p>
<p>“Leave it,” Jim says. “We’ll find out soon enough. Sulu, take us in.”</p>
<p>“Aye, sir.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stone rolls onto the bridge like a thunderstorm, flanked by two security officers, hands on their phasers. Everyone on the bridge tenses.</p>
<p>“Commodore.” Jim gets up, frowning. “Is there a problem?”</p>
<p>“You could say that, Kirk.” Stone gestures around. “I’ve reviewed the logs you sent ahead and found that contrary to what you wrote in your personal report, the computer logs show that you actually ejected the pod carrying Lieutenant Commander Finney <em>before</em> you ordered the red alert. Which, as I am sure you’re aware, amounts to culpable negligence.”</p>
<p>What the hell?</p>
<p>“That’s not —” Jim stops at a gesture from Spock.</p>
<p>“Ah.” Stone nods, annoyed. “I see I won’t have to add perjury to your list of charges. Not yet, anyway. Well then, Captain Kirk. You are hereby ordered to report to the brig at Starfleet Eleven, pending a general court martial. An attorney will be appointed for you in due course.”</p>
<p>Jim doesn’t move. Nor does anyone else.</p>
<p>Stone sighs. “I’d really rather <em>not</em> handcuff you in front of your crew, but the choice is entirely yours, <em>Captain</em>.”</p>
<p>Slowly, it’s starting to sink in that Starfleet, or at least Stone, is accusing Jim of <em>killing Finney</em>. </p>
<p>“You can’t be serious!” Leonard has moved before his brain has entirely caught up with reality, moved on instinct, really, between Jim and harm’s way, in this case, Stone. He can hear a few gasps. “What the <em>hell</em> is this nonsense?”</p>
<p>Stone frowns, then gives Leonard a once-over, gaze catching on the stripes on his uniform, just the two of them, one thick and one thin.</p>
<p>“Now,” Stone says, “As much as I respect your … loyalty, <em>Lieutenant Commander</em>, I am giving you this one and only chance to step aside before I have you arrested alongside your Captain.”</p>
<p>There’s a hand on his shoulder. Jim’s hand. </p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Jim says. “Dr McCoy.”</p>
<p>It’s not, but. </p>
<p>“Yes, Captain.” </p>
<p>Leonard steps aside and watches the security team take Jim away. </p>
<p>Goddamnit. “That …” He turns around to Spock and Uhura. “What the hell is goin’ on here?”</p>
<p>“I do not know, Doctor,” Spock admits. “However, the logs must be mistaken. The Captain would not have ejected the pod before ordering the red alert. I shall investigate this with Mr Scott momentarily.” Spock looks around Leonard, at Rand. “Yeoman, implement the shore leave schedule.”</p>
<p>“Right away, sir.”</p>
<p>“Spock,” Uhura says, quietly, “there should be an announcement about what happened to the Captain. Some crewmembers will have seen.”</p>
<p>“An excellent point, Lieutenant. I suggest you prepare something … appropriate.”</p>
<p>Uhura nods, and gets to work. Leonard barely hears the broadcast. He’s trying to remember whether he updated Rand on the latest shift rotation for the shore leave schedule. But if he hasn’t, Krejci probably has it under control. Still, Leonard should …</p>
<p>“Hey.” Uhura is standing next to him. “Shore leave includes us, too. Let’s get the lay of the land, hm?”</p>
<p>Leonard can’t think of an excuse, or anything much, really, and it’s not like he can help Spock and Scotty check over the computer logs, so he just follows Uhura out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Uhura makes straight for the bar, probably to … well, who the hell knows what Uhura is thinking. Leonard doesn’t, most of the time. Or any of the time.</p>
<p>Inside, there’s already some commotion. Leonard spots Cupcake facing off against some people he vaguely recognizes from the Academy. There’s Timothy, one of the obnoxious idiots from Jim’s Command track courses. </p>
<p>“Don’t talk like that about the Captain!” Cupcake is saying, or rather, shouting.</p>
<p>“Or else what?” Timothy gets up, halfway into an attacking position.</p>
<p>Great. This, all of this, it’s just <em>great</em>. Goddamn ion storms. And Finney, for being dead and still getting Jim in trouble.</p>
<p>Cupcake’s hands clench into fists. </p>
<p>“Do something, Leonard,” Uhura whispers. </p>
<p>“Like what?” He has half a mind to join in, at that. Although it’s not helping Jim. On the contrary.</p>
<p>“Like stopping them! You’re the ranking officer here.” Uhura, the traitor, pushes him forward. </p>
<p>“Alright!” Leonard steps up to the bar and adopts the same voice he uses for triaging emergencies. “Lieutenant Hendorff. That’s <em>enough</em>.”</p>
<p>Cupcake frowns at him. “Speak for yourself.”</p>
<p>Leonard exhales. Nothing like having his authority challenged by a lieutenant to top off this day. “As the <em>rankin’ officer</em>,” he snaps, “I speak for the Captain. Return to the ship. <em>Now</em>.”</p>
<p>No one in the bar as much as breathes. </p>
<p>Then, “Sir. Yes, sir!” Cupcake turns and stalks off.</p>
<p>Thank the <em>Lord</em> for that.</p>
<p>Timothy, however, does not look impressed. “Aw, check you out, McCoy. You sure you can speak for the Captain? I hear you usually have his cock shoved down your throat.” </p>
<p>Several people start to laugh.</p>
<p>Leonard’s hands twitch. He’s not surprised that people know about the CMO sleeping with his Captain. If anything, he’s surprised it’s taken so long for someone to say it to his face.</p>
<p>“Careful there, Timothy.” His voice sounds reasonably steady to his own ears. “People are gonna think you’re jealous.”</p>
<p>Not the best comeback, but it’ll have to do. He turns on his heel and stalks out of the bar before he ends up in the brig alongside Jim, for brawling. Let them laugh. Let them …</p>
<p>Goddamnit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He’s not to have any visitors.” The guard scowls at Leonard.</p>
<p>“I’m not a visitor, I’m his <em>doctor</em>! Which, under Medical Code 27 subection C, allows me access to him to ensure he’s being treated according to Starfleet Regulation. Or do you have something to hide here, Lieutenant? Should I take this up with Commodore Stone?”</p>
<p>The guard pales a little. “Fine. But you can’t go into the cell. And make it quick.”</p>
<p>“<em>Fine</em>.”</p>
<p>Leonard is buzzed through the door and into the brig, which looks much like the one aboard the Enterprise. </p>
<p>“Bones?” Jim has been lounging on the cot, but sits up straight at his approach. “Erm. Dr McCoy.”</p>
<p>Leonard feels the eyes of the guard, as well as several security cameras watching him. “Just wanted to see your new luxury quarters for myself, Captain.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, the, uh, luxury is overwhelming.” Jim gets up, and moves closer. </p>
<p>The invisible force field crackles just enough to remind them that it’s there, between them.</p>
<p>“I’m, uh …” Leonard swallows, then lowers his voice. “Earlier. On the bridge. That was … unprofessional, of me.”</p>
<p>“Are you <em>kidding</em> me?” Jim laughs. “That was the highlight of my day! Probably of my week, the way things are going.”</p>
<p>“How <em>are</em> things goin’, exactly?”</p>
<p>The grin fades. “Stone offered to make it all disappear if I admitted I made some mistake and quietly took a ground job, but hey, that’s never gonna happen. I’m innocent. You’ll just have to find a way to prove it.”</p>
<p>“Spock and Scotty are workin’ on the computer logs.” </p>
<p>“Good. But they better hurry. This court martial thing is happening first thing tomorrow. And I’m sure they’re gonna want you to testify.” Leonard winces. “Stone suggested exhaustion as a reason for my ‘mistake.’ They’ll want to ask my CMO about that, make sure you’re ready for it.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Exhaustion. Got it, yeah.”</p>
<p>Leonard should not be testifying. He’ll have to, he knows, he can’t exactly recuse himself from a court martial, but right now, for Jim, he is … a liability. </p>
<p>“Hey, Bones, are you okay? Something bothering you?”</p>
<p>“Oh, you mean apart from the fact that you’re in the brig facin’ court martial and demotion” or, worse, <em>promotion</em>, “for somethin’ you <em>didn’t do</em>?”</p>
<p>“Relax.” Jim almost manages to smile. “It’s gonna be okay.”</p>
<p>Leonard rolls his eyes. “Are you <em>ever</em> gonna learn that you don’t have to pander to me? You’re nervous alright. I can hear it in your damn voice.”</p>
<p>“Aw, Bones. You know me too well.”</p>
<p>In the back of his mind, Leonard can still hear Timothy taunting him about sucking Jim’s cock. Right now, he’d settle for putting a hand on Jim’s shoulder, in reassurance. “We’ll get you out of here.”</p>
<p>This time, Jim does smile. “I know you will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dr McCoy?” A blonde woman in a red lieutenant’s uniform stops him on his way back to the ship. “You <em>are</em> Dr McCoy, yes?”</p>
<p>“Who’s askin’?”</p>
<p>“My name is Areel Shaw. I’m an old … friend of Jim Kirk.”</p>
<p>That’ll be an old conquest, then. Jim used to have good taste, before fixing on Leonard.</p>
<p>“And …?”</p>
<p>“I hear he’s in trouble. If you tell me some—”</p>
<p>His communicator mercifully interrupts. “Spock to Dr McCoy.”</p>
<p>“McCoy here.”</p>
<p>“I am about to meet with the attorney chosen to represent the Captain. Perhaps you would like to join me, Doctor? We will convene in my office.”</p>
<p>Coming from Spock, that’s … oddly considerate. Which means Spock is getting nowhere with those computer logs. Which means they’re in deep shit.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right there.” </p>
<p>He flips his communicator shut and stalks off without another look at Shaw.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The attorney is already in Spock’s office when Leonard gets there.</p>
<p>“Dr McCoy, this is Mr Cogley,” Spock says.</p>
<p>“Pleasure,” Leonard manages.</p>
<p>Cogley nods, absent-mindedly, and pulls several books out of a suitcase. Actual, hard-bound books that look about a century old. </p>
<p>Spock exchanges a look with Leonard that does not bode well for Cogley. Or anyone.</p>
<p>“Mr Cogley,” Spock intones, “did you not receive the files I sent you?”</p>
<p>“Files?” Cogley looks up in utter confusion. There’s not a padd in sight. “I do not need files. I have everything right here! All the laws under the sun! The Bible, the Code of Hammurabi and of Justinian, the Magna Charta …” Cogley pats the pile of books as if it were a lover. “Human rights, gentlemen. It is all in here. All we need to know.”</p>
<p>“That’s, uh, admirable,” Leonard manages, before Spock scares the poor attorney off, “but that ain’t gonna help the Captain right now.”</p>
<p>“Captain Kirk?” Cogley frowns. “What defense does he need? His record speaks for itself! Saved the world, what, twice? Three times? Who keeps count, these days? The court will acquit him, of course! It is a mere formality.”</p>
<p>Lord have mercy …</p>
<p>“Mr Cogley,” Spock says. “How do you intend to explain formally that the computer logs are mistaken when neither Mr Scott nor myself have found any evidence of tampering?”</p>
<p>Cogley waves it off. “I will have the court listen to the entirety of Mr Kirk’s record. That shall be entirely sufficient. I am actually unsure as to why you have called this meeting, Mr … Spock, was it? Would you like to go over Mr Kirk’s record with me?”</p>
<p>“That will not be necessary, Mr Cogley.”</p>
<p>“Well, in that case!” Cogley starts putting the books back into the suitcase, drops a few, and takes so long to get the suitcase shut that Leonard seriously considers letting Spock take the damn man out. </p>
<p>Finally, the door shuts behind Cogley. </p>
<p>“What the hell was that?” Leonard asks.</p>
<p>“My impression is that of … an old country lawyer?”</p>
<p>Leonard glares at Spock. Considerate indeed. “He’s not gonna help Jim, is he?”</p>
<p>“No, Doctor, I believe he will not.” Spock reaches for the intercom. “This is Spock. All staff officers, report to my office immediately.” And to Leonard, “We will have to help the Captain ourselves.”</p>
<p>For once, Leonard couldn’t agree more with Spock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ve checked all of them, the lot,” Scotty reports when everyone has gathered in Spock’s office. “They all say the Captain ejected the pod before the red alert came on. And there’s no evidence of tampering, nothing.”</p>
<p>“Well …” Sulu frowns. “Look, I hate to be the bad guy here, but someone has to say it. What if Kirk actually <em>did</em> make a mistake?”</p>
<p>Utter silence descends upon the room.</p>
<p>“No,” Leonard snaps, because, apparently, someone <em>has</em> to say it. “He didn’t. Because if he did, he’d own up to it.”</p>
<p>“I am inclined to agree,” Spock says.</p>
<p>Leonard blinks. So does everyone else. If Spock is agreeing with him, in front of <em>everyone</em>, they’re in shit so deep they’ll never get out of it again.</p>
<p>Spock makes a vague, yet all-encompassing gesture. “The impression of a certain degree of wilful ignorance on Mr Cogley’s part supports the hypothesis that ulterior motives are present here.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but <em>whose</em>?” Leonard asks. “Finney hated Jim, alright, because Jim’s report got him suspended, but …”</p>
<p>“So, he, what?” Sulu asks. “Killed himself to get revenge? Doesn’t sound very convincing to me.”</p>
<p>“He sure was mad enough at the Captain to do something crazy,” Rand puts in.</p>
<p>“Besides,” Spock says, “this may not have been his first attempt to have the Captain court-martialed. As I recall, after the crash of the Galileo, the batteries were working perfectly until Finney inspected them.”</p>
<p>Leonard swallows, hard. He <em>remembers</em> that. And … “He burned his arm. Finney. He was shifty about, too. He … Spock, you think he might’ve sabotaged the shuttle?” </p>
<p>“There is a distinct possibility.”</p>
<p>“I still don’t buy that he was suicidal,” Sulu says. “Sounds more like he was on a mission.”</p>
<p>“Maybe he wasn’t doing it alone,” Uhura says. “Someone must have tampered with the logs during or after Finney was in the pod. So, someone else.”</p>
<p>“And if we cannae find any evidence of it, it must have been someone good.” Scotty scowls at that.</p>
<p>“But who could have this technology?” Chekov asks. </p>
<p>“The Romulans?” Cupcake ventures.</p>
<p>“Never mind the technology,” Leonard says, “what about this walkin’ catastrophe of a lawyer? The Romulans sure as hell didn’t appoint him. Starfleet did.”</p>
<p>“And who exactly appointed Finney?” Cupcake asks. </p>
<p>Everyone looks at Rand, who consults the padd. “Admiral Lance Cartwright. He … he took Admiral Marcus’ seat at Starfleet Command.”</p>
<p>Oh, Lord. </p>
<p>“That doesn’t prove anything,” Sulu says. </p>
<p>Which is true, but … If there is a plot within Starfleet to harm Jim, any plot at all, for sure it must involve …</p>
<p>“Section 31,” Spock says, with an air of finality.</p>
<p>“Well, if it’s them lot …” Scotty gestures at the air. “They have all of the fancy tech. They have these portable beaming devices, they … Oh my good Lord. What if Finney was given one of those, and he transported out of the pod before the red alert went up? Maybe even timed the ejection himself?”</p>
<p>That’s … what? That’s <em>possible</em>? Although Leonard knows better than to ask.</p>
<p>“In that case he could be anywhere by now,” Uhura says.</p>
<p>“Hmm …” Chekov looks up from a padd. “Actually, no. He cannot have gotten far in the ion storm, and no ship has arrived at or left Starbase Eleven since we docked.”</p>
<p>It’s probably not legal for Chekov to know that, but here, too, Leonard knows better than to ask.</p>
<p>“We can <em>find</em> him,” Scotty says. “If it is Section 31, and they are using these devices, we <em>will</em> find him.”</p>
<p>“But we still don’t know whether it’s Section 31!” Sulu says. “And even if Finney is alive and used this tech, it doesn’t prove anything. He could’ve stolen it.”</p>
<p>That’s possible, but …</p>
<p>“That is a secondary concern,” Spock says. “What we must focus on is helping the Captain.”</p>
<p>Scotty, Uhura and Chekov launch into a discussion about the technical details.</p>
<p>Leonard checks his padd, which shows one new communication. Frowning, he calls it up. It’s a summons to the court martial, tomorrow at 0800 hours. “Hey, anyone else got one of these?”</p>
<p>Scotty gives him a  wave. “I did.”</p>
<p>“So did I, sir,” Rand says.</p>
<p>But apparently, no one else.</p>
<p>“Very well.” Spock nods. “We shall attempt to locate Mr Finney, or, failing that, evidence of his plan. Doctor, Miss Rand - I suggest you withdraw to prepare for your testimony.”</p>
<p>“If we haven’t found Finney by then, we’re gonna need every second you can buy us,” Uhura says.</p>
<p>And not compromise Jim in front of Section 31, or whoever caused this mess. Simple as that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It takes Leonard far too long to decide where he should sleep now that Jim won’t be there, but eventually, he finds himself in the Captain’s quarters anyway. </p>
<p>He collapses onto the bed and the sheets that smell like Jim and he doesn’t sleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Early the next morning, as Leonard walks into the designated court room in his itchy dress uniform, he still isn’t sure whether all of this might not be a bad dream. He barely makes out Jim behind the tower of books as he passes the defense’s bench and takes his seat next to Scotty and Rand on the witness’ bench just behind Cogley.</p>
<p>“Anythin’?” he whispers to Scotty.</p>
<p>“Not yet,” Scotty whispers back. “We better keep them lot occupied.”</p>
<p>“Got it.”</p>
<p>“This court is now in session!” Stone’s voice booms across the room. Stone then reels off the representatives who will sit in judgement, then calls the prosecuting officer, who is … Shaw. Of course. </p>
<p>Jim pleads not guilty to the charge of culpable negligence, and the prosecution calls the first witness, “Yeoman Janice Rand.”</p>
<p>Rand looks composed, hair immaculately pinned up as always, and sits down on the witness stand.</p>
<p>“So, Miss Rand,” Shaw asks, “since when have you been Captain Kirk’s personal yeoman, exactly?”</p>
<p>“Stardate 2258.42, ma’am.”</p>
<p>Damn, Rand really has been there from the beginning, too. From that day they first set foot onto the Enterprise, the day Jim became Captain Kirk.</p>
<p>“And have your duties as the Captain’s personal yeoman involved working closely with the Chief Records Officer Benjamin Finney?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes, ma’am. Almost on a daily basis, I’d say.”</p>
<p>Poor Rand … Knowing Finney, it probably was Rand doing most of the work. Given that anyone of an inferior rank barely existed in Finney’s world. Let alone enlisted crewmembers like a yeomen.</p>
<p>“Did Captain Kirk ever express any animosity towards Lieutenant Commander Finney?”</p>
<p>“No, ma’am. If anything, it was the other way around. Lieutenant Commander Finney could be rather vocal in his dis—”</p>
<p>“Miss Rand,” Shaw interrupts. “Did you ever have any concerns serving under Captain Kirk? A young woman like yourself?”</p>
<p>Several people around the room shift. Leonard carefully unclenches his jaw and attempts to be objective. What is the prosecution trying to achieve, here? Going for the character assassination so soon?</p>
<p>Rand frowns. “Pardon me, ma’am, but I am not sure what you are asking me here.”</p>
<p>“Did you ever hear of Captain’s Kirk … reputation, at the Academy?”</p>
<p>“My apologies, ma’am,” Rand says, face absolutely straight. “I can offer no comment as I did not attend the Academy. I can only say that I never saw the Captain act with anything other than the utmost professionalism towards anyone.”</p>
<p>Leonard might be a bit in love with Rand, right now.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant,” Stone intervenes, clearly annoyed. “Do you have an actual question hidden in there?”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, sir. Thank you, Miss Rand. Your witness, Mr Cogley.” Shaw smiles sweetly.</p>
<p>Cogley, however, shrugs. “No questions.”</p>
<p>Well, damn. Leonard exchanges a look with Scotty. Keeping the court occupied might prove a bit more difficult than they had anticipated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard fidgets in his seat as he half-listens to the computer reel off more medals and awards than he’d given Scotty credit for. </p>
<p>“So, Lieutenant Commander Scott,” Shaw starts. “You objected to the deployment of the ion pod, is that correct?”</p>
<p>“I did indeed.”</p>
<p>“Yet Kirk chose to go ahead with the test anyway.”</p>
<p>Scotty shifts in the chair. “Well, aye. That is his prerogative, what with him being the Captain an’ all.”</p>
<p>“But this is not the first time Captain Kirk overruled your expert opinion, is it? Did you not in fact resign once over his ignoring your advice?”</p>
<p>Over those damn torpedoes … then, as now, they’d be in a lot less trouble if Jim had listened to Scotty.</p>
<p>“I did,” Scotty has to confirm. “But I wouldna have come back, nor would I be here, if I dinna have complete trust in the Captain. There is no way in hell he ejected that pod before the red alert came on.”</p>
<p>Shaw frowns. “During the incident, you were in Main Engineering, correct?”</p>
<p>“Indeed I was.”</p>
<p>“Where you watching the monitor of the pod at the exact moment Kirk ejected the pod?”</p>
<p>Scotty shifts. “Well, no. The ion storm was rising and shields were taking a right old battering, so I was just a tad busy diverting auxiliary power to shields.”</p>
<p>“And yet you maintain that the red alert was sounded before the pod was ejected.”</p>
<p>“I do.”</p>
<p>“Despite the fact that the computer logs indicate otherwise.”</p>
<p>“Aye.”</p>
<p>“So you are saying that there is some mistake in the computer whose maintenance falls under your purview?”</p>
<p>Oh, Lord. Scotty bristles, but, amazingly, calms down. “Obviously, aye! And if you hadna dragged me down here, I’d still be looking for that mistake because rest assured there is one!”</p>
<p>“Do the computer logs aboard the Enterprise have a habit of malfunctioning, then?”</p>
<p>“No!” Scotty snaps.</p>
<p>“How often, exactly, has a malfunction of this magnitude occured in the past year?”</p>
<p>“Never.” </p>
<p>“And yet you maintain that there must have been a malfunction now. Based on what evidence?”</p>
<p>“No evidence,” Scotty has to admit. “But —”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Scott.” Shaw … smiles. “No further questions. Your witness, Mr Cogley.”</p>
<p>Cogley coughs. “I do not have any —”</p>
<p>Oh, for the love of God. Leonard kicks the back of Cogley’s seat. Hard. </p>
<p>“Hey.” Cogley turns to him. So does Jim. “What are you —”</p>
<p>“Ask him for the reasons of his concerns about the pod technology,” Leonard hisses. “In <em>detail</em>.”</p>
<p>“But why should I spend time on —”</p>
<p>“Just do as Dr McCoy says,” Jim whispers.</p>
<p>Cogley frowns, but does get up. “So, well, Mr Scott. Could you perhaps explain for the board the nature of your concerns about the pod technology in … detail?” </p>
<p>“I’d be delighted!” And off Scotty goes into a monologue about the dangers of the ion pod system that everyone on the board tries very hard to pretend to listen to.</p>
<p>They’re in <em>business</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At some point, even Scotty runs out of objections to the ion pod, the defense has no more questions and just like that, it’s Leonard’s turn. He does not look at Jim as he walks past the defendant’s bench towards the witness stand and takes his seat.</p>
<p>The computer rattles off, “Dr Leonard McCoy. Rank, Lieutenant Commander. Current assignment, Chief Medical Officer, USS Enterprise. Decoration by Starfleet Surgeons.”</p>
<p>The latter for bringing Jim back to life, or, as far as Starfleet is concerned, keeping Jim alive. Leonard hopes to God they won’t ask about that. Usually, the Captain’s medical records would be need-to-know, but this being a general court-martial …</p>
<p>“Dr McCoy,” Shaw says. “How would you describe Captain Kirk’s health?”</p>
<p>“4-0,” Leonard grumbles. He really hopes Spock and the others have made some progress. </p>
<p>“For the record, that means he is perfectly healthy?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“What about the instance of high blood pressure you noted in your log on Stardate 2260.140?”</p>
<p>So they do have Jim’s records. If this is all Section 31’s doing, if Shaw is Section 31 …</p>
<p>“A minor deviance,” Leonard says. “Common enough. I monitored it. It did not reoccur.”</p>
<p>“Is it, would you say, a sign of the stress Captain Kirk is under?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Is that your <em>professional</em> opinion?”</p>
<p>Leonard bristles. “I’m a doctor, so, yes. Of course.”</p>
<p>“So it has not occurred to you that your professional opinion might have been clouded by your … intimate relationship with Captain Kirk?”</p>
<p>Oh, Lord. Here they go. “How dare you, you —”</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Commander!” Stone intervenes, scandalized. Apparently, he still doesn’t warrant a <em>Doctor</em> in here.</p>
<p>Leonard can’t bring himself to grumble a customary apology. </p>
<p>“Well.” Shaw raises an eyebrow, unperturbed. “For the record, can you confirm that there <em>is</em> an intimate relationship between you and Captain Kirk?”</p>
<p>It would help the case if he denied it. Sleeping with one’s subordinate is not a good look for a commanding officer. Spock may get away with it because of the Vulcan thing, but given Captain Kirk’s <em>reputation</em> …</p>
<p>Besides, it’s not a good look for Leonard himself. People will say he’s doing it for career advancement and what-not. Thinking back to Timothy, people already are saying that. And yet …</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>There’s a sharp intake of breath all around the room. Even Jim looks a little stunned. But Leonard is not about to add his name to the long list of people who have abandoned James Tiberius Kirk. He’s <em>not</em>. No matter what.</p>
<p>“Yes, Miss Shaw, I can confirm that. I just fail to see how that’s relevant.”</p>
<p>From the way everyone is staring at him, at least he’s succeeding in keeping them occupied.</p>
<p>“<em>Well</em> …” Shaw drags out, thrown. “It’s not against Regulation, I grant you that much. But can you guarantee that Captain Kirk has never unduly favored you as a result of this … relationship?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Leonard says, without thinking, because he doesn’t have to think about that. </p>
<p>“What are your personal quarters aboard the Enterprise?”</p>
<p>Shaw might have been thrown by his blunt admission, but there’s clearly some strategy in this question, planned in advance.</p>
<p>Better play along, then. “3F 127.”</p>
<p>“And if I were to walk in there right now, would I find any evidence that these are your quarters, or would they be … somewhat empty?”</p>
<p>That … How would Shaw, who’d never stepped foot onto the Enterprise, know that? Section 31?</p>
<p>But that can’t be Leonard’s concern, at least, not right now. All he has to do is keep them all occupied. </p>
<p>“What’s next, you’re gonna ask me how the Captain likes his coffee?” </p>
<p>It’s <em>black, two sugars</em>, if anyone cares, but Shaw just stares at Leonard. </p>
<p>“Lieutenant,” Stone intervenes. “Get to the point.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir. So, Dr McCoy. Would you say that you enjoy taking part in exploratory shuttlecraft trips?”</p>
<p>Leonard swallows. “Not particularly, no.”</p>
<p>“And yet you would maintain that Captain Kirk’s log entry of Stardate 2260.142 arguing against the strict enforcement of Starfleet Regulation 113 Section A concerning the mandatory hours aboard shuttlecrafts for staff officers was not a personal favor to you?”</p>
<p>The … what? That log entry dates back to the very beginning of their five year mission. Is <em>that</em> why no one has ever bothered Leonard about his lack of shuttlecraft hours? Apart from Finney, anyway. Leonard doesn’t dare look at Jim when he replies, truthfully, “That’s the first I’ve heard of such a log entry.”</p>
<p>Shaw raises an eyebrow. “You were not aware of its existence.”</p>
<p>“No, I was not.”</p>
<p>“Ah, that’s a shame. It’s really quite eloquent.”</p>
<p>“Your point bein’?”</p>
<p>The door bursts open before Shaw can get to the point, and in march Spock, Uhura, Chekov and Cupcake, the latter dragging along … Finney. In the flesh, and most importantly, alive.</p>
<p>Stone jumps up. “What is the meaning of this!”</p>
<p>“Commodore,” Spock intones quietly, “I suggest for the defense to submit a newly uncovered piece of evidence which proves, quite comprehensively, that Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney is, in fact, alive, and faked his death to frame Captain Kirk. Mr Hendorff?”</p>
<p>Cupcake shoves Finney forward, who stumbles into the court room. </p>
<p>“How?” is Stone’s only question.</p>
<p>Uhura and Chekov practically fall over one another to explain something about portable beaming devices, sensor distortion and negative space that Leonard couldn’t keep up with if he tried. He just studies Finney, who looks … defeated, yes, and also … afraid?</p>
<p>“Very well,” Stone interrupts yet another of Chekov’s monologues. “We, uhm … find ourselves in a very unusual situation here.”</p>
<p>No kidding.</p>
<p>“But given that the crewmember has turned up alive and … well, I shall have to rule this court to be dismissed. Unless the prosecution has any objection …?”</p>
<p>Shaw is staring at Finney, yet manages, “No objection, sir.”</p>
<p>“Alright, then.” Stone turn to Jim. “You’re free to go, Kirk.”</p>
<p>It takes a beat or maybe two, but Jim does grind out, “Thank you, sir.”</p>
<p>“And you,” Stone tells Finney, “you will answer for what you did, Lieutenant Commander!”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” Finney whispers, as if that had been nothing less than a death sentence. </p>
<p>Station security sweeps in to lead Finney away.</p>
<p>But that’s not Leonard’s problem. He just watches as Jim makes his way down to where all the staff officers have gathered. Scotty is clapping both Uhura and Chekov on the back, probably for redeeming the computer more than for saving Jim.</p>
<p>“Does this mean I won the case?” Cogley asks Leonard, dazed.</p>
<p>Leonard rolls his eyes and gets up himself, off the witness stand and down to where Jim is talking quietly to Spock.</p>
<p>But Jim turns the moment Leonard has reached them, grinning. “You know that bit about the highlight of my week? Consider that updated to your testimony just now. I mean, what the fuck, Bones.”</p>
<p>Jim reaches for him, but Spock intervenes, “It would be unwise to linger here, Captain. We have not yet ascertained whether this whole court martial relates back to … a certain agency within Starfleet.”</p>
<p>Section 31.</p>
<p>“I see.” Jim’s face clouds over. “Well, then, we should get back to the Enterprise and check up on the repairs, eh? Before we think about whether we might have to make a run for it, let’s see whether we can.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leonard breathes a little easier when they’re back on the bridge of the Enterprise, even if they can’t run quite yet. </p>
<p>Scotty is just outlining the last of the essential hull repairs when the intercom whistles. </p>
<p>“Security to Captain Kirk.”</p>
<p>“Kirk here.”</p>
<p>“A Lieutenant Shaw is here at the airlock, sir. She would like to speak to you.”</p>
<p>Jim exchanges a confused look with Leonard and Spock before replying, “Alright. Have someone escort her to my ready room.” Jim flicks off the intercom. “All staff officers, with me. You’re gonna want to hear this.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” rings out around the bridge.</p>
<p>Leonard can’t quite bring himself to say it, too, around the unease clutching at his throat. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s quite the reception, Captain.” Shaw looks around the ready room, and frowns at Leonard, who does his best to glare. “But I’m afraid I will have to speak to you alone.”</p>
<p>“You can speak freely in front of my officers. Or you can leave. Lieutenant.”</p>
<p>“Very well. Lieutenant Commander Finney is dead.”</p>
<p>What.</p>
<p>“This time, for real,” Shaw continues. “I have just come from seeing his body.”</p>
<p>“How?” Jim asks, tightly.</p>
<p>“Security are treating this as suicide. He left a note, too, about the mistakes he’s made in his career, and that he tried to blame you for them.”</p>
<p>“Suicide a Starfleet brig?” Jim’s frown is deepening. “Wait, are you gonna try and pin this one on me, too?”</p>
<p>They couldn’t … could they?</p>
<p>“No, Captain. Finney’s mistakes were his own. I just figured you should know. Because, and I say this for the sake of our old … friendship, Starfleet will bury the whole thing. And so will you, if you know what’s good for you. For once.”</p>
<p>Jim exhales. “Will that be all, Lieutenant?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Then get off my ship. If you know what’s good for <em>you</em>.”</p>
<p>Shaw turns to leave without another word.</p>
<p>When the door has closed, Jim asks, “Analysis, Mr Spock?”</p>
<p>“Suicide does seem an unlikely option, considering the security measures present in every Starfleet brig. I see, however, no way of verifying - or disproving - this assessment.”</p>
<p>“Just like we can’t prove he was working with Section 31,” Sulu says, “even if he was assigned by Marcus’ understudy Cartwright and used a whole lot of fancy classified tech.” </p>
<p>And is now, very conveniently, dead. </p>
<p>Jim exhales in frustration. “Either way, we’re gonna have to be prepared for the possibility that he was working with Section 31, and that that wasn’t the last we’ve seen of them.”</p>
<p>Grim faces all around the ready room. How far along are those hull repairs, again?</p>
<p>“Oh, and on a happier note …” Jim looks at Rand. “Janice, how would you like to be Chief Records Officer?”</p>
<p>“Sir?” Rand blinks. “I — but I’m not —”</p>
<p>“That was a simple yes or no question! You’ve served aboard the Enterprise with distinction for years now, I’m pretty sure you’ve outgrown the role of my personal yeoman and your tasks overlap with Records all the time anyway! You’ll do an admirable job.”</p>
<p>“Sir, I’d be honored, of course, but … I’m not even an officer, let alone a senior one!”</p>
<p>Jim shrugs and grins at the same time. “Mr Spock! I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but could you cite Regulation for me, please!”</p>
<p>Spock arches an eyebrow. “Contrary to common belief, there is nothing in Starfleet Regulation that mandates that the Chief Records Officer has to be a senior officer. It is merely … I believe the appropriate phrase would be … an unwritten law?”</p>
<p>“There you go.” Jim’s grin widens. “That in addition to the fact that my last Chief Records Officer tried to have me framed for murder, and that Starfleet want me to forget about the whole thing … Somehow I don’t think they will object to a little field commission. Congratulations, Ensign Rand.”</p>
<p>Well, if anyone could get that past Starfleet Command, it would be Captain Kirk. And when that commission has gone through … Leonard looks around the room. With Rand as Chief Records Officer, all of the staff officers are people he <em>knows</em>. People he’s served with since that first day aboard the Enterprise, all those years ago, in another lifetime. People Leonard would trust with his <em>life</em>. </p>
<p>Although he wouldn’t trust them with <em>Jim’s</em> life. No. That one, he’d always have to guard personally.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Jim is saying. “Scotty, go see to those hull repairs. The sooner we get out of here, the better. Helm, navigation, security …” Jim gestures at the air. “You know what to do. Dismissed.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>Everyone gets to their feet.</p>
<p>“Uh, Bones?” Jim intervenes. “You got a minute?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>#</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the doors have closed behind everyone else, Jim leans - or rather sags - back in the chair and stifles a yawn. It’s not that late in the day. Is it?</p>
<p>“Not been gettin’ much sleep in the brig?”</p>
<p>“Not really.” Jim shifts in the seat, looks away. “I can’t sleep, you know. When you’re not there, I can’t sleep.”</p>
<p>Leonard shudders.</p>
<p>Before he can think of anything to reply, Jim grins at him. “Right now, though, the crew probably think we’re having sex in here.”</p>
<p>“Not funny, Captain.”</p>
<p>Jim frowns. “Oh, come on, Bones. I know we’re on duty. Would it kill you to relax just once?”</p>
<p>“Yes, damnit! It would! It <em>literally</em> would! Or was that damn court martial not enough of a hint, <em>sir</em>?”</p>
<p>“I’m right here.”</p>
<p><em>Alright</em> then. Leonard is on his feet and around the table before he’s even aware that he has moved. </p>
<p>“Bones, what —”</p>
<p>He hauls Jim upright, back against the wall and into a kiss, which has the welcome effect of shutting Jim up, but also … yeah.</p>
<p>Leonard nudges Jim’s legs apart with his thigh. </p>
<p>“Hgnh —” Jim is already hardening against him. “Seriously, Bones … <em>what</em>?”</p>
<p>They’re on duty and anyone could walk into this ready room at any moment, and yes, this is unprofessional, but <em>fuck</em> that. Fuck Stone and Shaw and Finney and Timothy and anyone else who has ever thought Leonard to be <em>unprofessional</em>. </p>
<p>So he slides down to his knees, fumbles with that damned dress uniform, and sucks Jim’s cock into his mouth.</p>
<p>Jim makes a desperate, keening sound above him, but clearly has no objections. At least, Jim’s cock doesn’t. No, that cock feels good right there, down Leonard’s throat. </p>
<p>He lets Jim set the rhythm, if one could call it that, and just takes it. </p>
<p>Despite the alleged tiredness, it does not take all that much. </p>
<p>“Holy shit,” Jim pants. “Look, I don’t wanna sound ungrateful, because I’m totally here for quick blowjobs in my ready room, but … since when are you?”</p>
<p>Leonard sits back on his heels, and clears his throat. “They’ll come after you again. Section 31. They always will.”</p>
<p>Jim frowns. “They’ll come after you as well.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think we’ve pretty much established by now that I’m a liability to you, thanks for the reminder.”</p>
<p>“Uhm … I was thinking more along the lines that you single-handedly cured radiation poisoning, and several space diseases that would have killed God knows how many people if not for you.”</p>
<p>Oh. Right. That. </p>
<p>“They’ll come after <em>us</em>,” Jim whispers. “All of us, on the Enterprise. But we’ll be ready.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Leonard whispers back, because he can’t not believe Jim. “We will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>###</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In the TOS episode, Finney acts on his own due to the grudge against Kirk after the reprimand. As for the court martial proceedings, let’s just say that Cogley is very obsessed with the history of law and does think Kirk’s record is sufficient defense and I’ve changed things quite substantially otherwise.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>More fics set in this ’verse are in progress - stay tuned.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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